69´«Ã½

Charles, who has been an art teacher at Union Springs High School for more than 25 years, told 69´«Ã½ he adores seeing students believe in themselves more as their work improves.

For him, it's not about teaching students how to draw or sculpt.

"I'm really teaching them confidence," he said in October in his classroom.

But Charles does well at teaching them how to draw and sculpt, too. Fifteen of his students have won medals in the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards, the largest annual student art competition in the country. Most recently, Hannah McHenry and Morgan Yorkey picked up gold and silver medals, respectively, in June. Many other students have received state and local prizes.

Charles stressed that their successes were due to their own efforts, but he is happy to help guide them while creating their pieces. Watching those efforts be acknowledged with awards is a thrill, he said. 

"It is literally one of the best feelings in the world when I see a kid come up to me, with tears, and they tell me, 'Mr. Charles, I won a national award,'" he said.

"I always become very speechless at that moment, and all of a sudden, I just want to give them a hug. It's a really big deal."

Charles also encourages students to apply for awards to help their confidence, as winning can help them trust their abilities. Working on a piece for a competition gives them something to focus on as well.

"It's that end result of all that hard work and effort that you put in to something. That's the aspect of it that I love," he said. "Because at the end of the day, my objective is to make sure that they are creative thinkers and that they say something (with) their art. If they leave with that, then I'm good with what I've taught them that year." 

The longtime teacher said he tries to help his students grow as artists by speaking with and getting to know them. Learning about their interests and hobbies allows Charles to better connect with them, which helps him teach them. Those conversations also help Charles encourage them to channel their experiences into their work.

Just as art gives students an outlet for whatever they are going through, Charles said drawing has been a "therapeutic" way for him to process his own thoughts and feelings throughout his life. Growing up in Manhattan, some of his earliest child memories include putting pen to paper. He sketched friends and family, teachers, comic book characters and "a little bit of everything." He lived near the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and around once a month, he would go over to study the artwork and try to draw it. He credits his mother, Yvonne Asante, for nurturing his interest. 

"Art was my identity," he said. "I still doodle all the time."

That passion was a throughline for Charles into adulthood, as he graduated from Alfred University with a master's degree in art education in 1997. He then taught at four different Syracuse City School District elementary schools, but was laid off after a year due to budget cuts. A friend recommended that he apply at Union Springs, though Charles had never heard of the village before.

Charles, who lives in 69´«Ã½, always assumed he would teach in bigger areas, as he was used to that in New York City. But he immediately liked the staff at Union Springs when he interviewed, and started in 1998. While there was a bit of a "culture shock" at first, as the community lacks the institutions he was used to growing up around, the school has been a major part of his life. He sees some of the faculty members as siblings, and some of the students as his children. He even met his wife, Tara, through the school, as she was a teacher assistant for a year.

"I like that the school feels like a family," he said.

Across the years, those connections with his students — and seeing their confidence grow — has helped keep Charles going.

"When I see a kid that's excited," he said, "it gives me enthusiasm."