Surrounded by brightly colored, glittering masks, Henry H. Wells art students stood before Deborah Velazquez's Italian class sharing the inspiration behind the Venetian Carnevale masks they had created. The presentation was a celebration of Italian culture and a collaboration between Velazquez's Italian students and art students taught by Irene Othmer and Angela Spreter.

"The purpose of the masks is to hide your identity so that you can be free to do what you want to do," a student explained. "No one knows who you are so you can just let go and have fun during this time." Students based their masks on a variety of themes, from flowers and birds to a jester and a jackal. Creative Arts students had about eight class periods to bring their designs to life while Art 7 students volunteered their time to make them and Italian students took about two class periods.