Kaz Mohanty on Top of the World
Kasmira Mohanty knows she has a good thing going. She’s a popular and proud Huntington High School art teacher and the computer graphics program she leads is one of the best on Long Island.
Affectionately known to her friends as “Kaz,” Ms. Mohanty is currently teaching computer graphics, advanced computer graphics, AP-2D design portfolio and media arts. She also taught advanced photo classes, too.
“I have it made,” Ms. Mohanty said. “I get to spend my days in a career I love, despite its many challenges, create my own personal artwork and still have a freelance career. I truly love traditional and digital arts. I really get overly excited when I am able to share a new technique or style of art with my kids.”
Computer graphics was still somewhat of an afterthought when Ms. Mohanty arrived in Huntington. “I have spent the last nine years building the program to what it is today,” she said. Due to her efforts, participation in the program has multiplied and students have built an impressive list of achievements.
“My AP students from last year exceeded my expectations,” Ms. Mohanty said. “Out of ten students, seven of them got 5’s and three got 4’s.” A 5 is the top AP score. “My extraordinary teacher for a mother was even impressed,” she laughed.
Ms. Mohanty earned an associate’s degree in photography at Fashion Institute of Technology and obtained a bachelor’s degree in fine arts at SUNY College at Purchase and a master’s degree in education at Dowling College.
Huntington’s computer graphics students now routinely capture top awards at regional, and even national, art competitions. “People have often complimented me on ‘my work’ and I have to tell them that my students created the work,” Ms. Mohanty said. “They are always taken aback.”
"Ms. Mo makes computer graphics really fun and I love how she made it so easy to for me to learn a new program like Adobe Illustrator,” sophomore Michael Lambui said. “Now I can make great projects with Ms. Mo's excellent help"
The gifted teacher is always ready to pitch-in and help out with some school project. She has designed numerous programs for high school events, ranging from the annual Distinguished Seniors banquet to one for the prom. She served as the docent program advisor for six years and is currently the co-advisor for the art honor society.
“My hopes for the [computer graphics] program are to get people to start looking at digital artwork the same way they would look at more traditional forms of arts,” Ms. Mohanty said. “Computer enhanced or computer generated work is often misunderstood. My students can spend months laboring over a project. It requires the same intensity, talent and creative knowledge to produce a piece of artwork utilizing the computer as it would be to paint an image by traditional means.”
Ms. Mohanty is full of ideas. One is her plan to incorporate interdisciplinary work in next May’s district art show. Another has to do with bringing visiting and accomplished artists into the classroom, which she did last March.
“Because digital computer programs are so readily available, many think that it takes no thought to produce a valid piece of artwork via the computer,” she said. “This is most untrue and I’ve had to fight that misconception for nice years now.”
The AP 2D design course is just one more piece in Huntington High School’s outstanding art program. Ms. Mohanty’s energy and desire for excellence is contagious with her students and they respond to her in predictable fashion. She knows how to motivate them.
“Everyone asks me if I’ll have kids some day,” she joked. “I tell them every year I already have 100 and that just fine with me.”
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