Ridgewood High students present Memory Project portraits for children in Cambodia

Students from Ridgewood High School’s National Art Honor Society presented the Memory Project to the board on June 15, showing portraits made to send to children in Cambodia and describing the project’s personal impact on both artists and recipients.

Chris McCulla, the district’s supervisor of arts, introduced students who worked on the project and praised their community service. Student presenter Shayna Ramos described receiving photo reference materials midwinter and spending a month and a half producing portraits for children who “grew up in an area around financial poverty” and who showed strong community bonds despite hardship. Ramos said the students added personal touches — for example each portrait included an outline of the student artist’s hand and the artist’s name and age — so recipients could feel a human connection even at a distance.

The board thanked the students for their work, and one board member who has traveled to Cambodia invited the students to consider joining future visits to meet recipients in person. Chris McCulla said the presentation and an accompanying video would be posted on the district website.

Why it matters The Memory Project combines arts instruction with global service learning, giving students practical experience in a community-minded project and offering recipients a keepsake intended to strengthen relationships across continents.

Attribution Quotes and details in this article are from the public meeting transcript and the student presenters’ remarks at the June 15 board meeting. Representative: Chris McCulla (supervisor of arts); student presenters Shayna Ramos and Irene Lee.