Kids Issues 2019: Super kids!

SUPER KIDS: Cover art by third-grader Omar Perez Peralta of Leicester Elementary School, who created a superhero with this power: “I can take all the plastic away from the world.” / Cover design: Norn Cutson

We are thrilled to present Part I of this year’s Kids Issues, our annual feature celebrating the creativity of our local K-12 students. This year, we asked kids and teens to submit art and writing around the question: “What would you do if you had superpowers for a day?”

We received a record number of entries — more than 470— from students who attend 28 area public, charter, private, parochial and home schools, plus an after-school arts program.

These young artists and writers offered up a bounty of colorful art, poems, essays and short fiction, which are by turns thoughtful, funny, surprising and touching. These creative minds imagined how they could use their new superpowers to save animals, rid the oceans of trash, protect other kids, cure cancer, fight crime, help the homeless, open people’s minds on social issues and more.

Pick up a print copy to see all of the student work at once or view the online Issue Archive. And be sure to check back next week for more superpowered art and writing in Part II, along with our annual guide to area summer camp offerings. Enjoy!

— Xpress staff

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