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Inspire: This young Sudbury artist is leaving her mark at Sudbury Secondary

Not only do Kahlan Kivisto interests lie in art, but she is also a volunteer with Girl Guides, school parliament and Street Outreach Sudbury
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Kahlan Kivisto is a young artist and volunteer who plans to study both art and computer science.

A blank page is intimidating for a writer. For a painter, a blank canvas is equally daunting.

But 17-year-old Kahlan Kivisto is confidently taking on the challenge of a blank wall to create a mural at Sudbury Secondary School.

Kahlan, a visual arts major at Sudbury Secondary, wants to leave her mark on the school. She doesn't have a name for the nine-metre mural yet, but she is developing ideas to celebrate the arts with representations of musical superstars such as David Bowie, Ella Fitzgerald and Frank Sinatra to inspire future instrumental and vocal students.

"I need to finish it by the end of school (in June)...It will be hard work, but good work. I love (the idea of) having something I designed at the school," the bubbly teen said.

Soon she'll be starting her school day armed with paints and brushes, since she plans to get most of the mural work done during her daily first-period spare.

The Grade 12 student gained valuable experience this past summer when she was one of two student apprentices working on the mural honouring Alex Trebek, longtime host of the TV quiz show Jeopardy! on the school's exterior wall.

It was created by Montreal artist Kevin Ledo during the Up Here Festival. The project, which honours the Sudbury native who died in 2019, was sponsored by the Rainbow District School Board.

Ledo created the nine-storey mural of Canadian singer and songwriter Leonard Cohen on St. Laurent Boulevard in Montreal in 2017. (His is one of two Cohen murals in Montreal; the second, entitled “Tower of Song”, is located on Crescent Street, was created by El Mac and Gene Pendon.)

"I loved painting the mural. I helped out for about 20 hours. It was really amazing to meet the artist. He had a great work ethic and was very helpful. He works internationally," said Kahlan.

That experience will look good on her resume. She hopes to pursue a career as an artist.

Life is pretty amazing right for Kahlan, the daughter of Christie and Victor Kivisto. Amazing is her favourite adjective.

"The staff at Sudbury Secondary is amazing, especially the art teachers. They are super supportive," she said. 

The busy teen balances her school schedule with a part-time job at Subway and other activities which include, when she can, hanging out with friends.

Kahlan volunteers with the school parliament, helps out with S.O.S – Street Outreach Sudbury, a group that distributes food and clothing to the homeless, and is a member of the Youth Engagement Council with Volunteer Sudbury.

The council's goal is to encourage students to do volunteer work, and to provide information about places where they can gain the volunteer hours necessary to graduate from high school.

"We meet every single week (by Zoom), three weeks with high school students and once a month with post-secondary members as well," Kahlan said.

She's sharpened her leadership skills and gained self-confidence as a Girl Guide.

"I have been a Girl Guide for 13 years. I started with Sparks when I was five."

This year she sits on Guiding’s provincial council.

"The girls on the council are amazing. We plan activities (for Guides) such as paint nights and astronomy nights." 

Another council project is organizing forums for Guides to learn about advocacy and "how small actions can create big change. It is targeting young girls so they learn these skills so they can use them as they grow up," she said.

Guides have provided opportunities for Kahlan to get to know other young women across Canada and to do some travelling.

When she was 14, she was one of 20 Canadian Guides chosen to visit London, England, where one of the World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts centres is located.

"We met for the first time in Toronto the day of the flight. It was nerve-wracking."

To heighten her butterflies, she was supposed to fly from Sudbury the night before to Pearson Airport, but the weather wouldn't co-operate. Her parents had to drive her to Toronto the next morning to make her overseas flight that evening.

Kahlan is looking foward to attending university in the fall to study arts and computer science. Her top choice is the University of British Columbia, Okanagan Campus.

"It is a beautiful place, I have some family there, I never get to see. It is really an amazing school that encourages entrepreneurship."

Examples of Kahlan's artwork and that of other Sudbury Secondary students can be viewed here.

Kahlan Kivisto words of inspiration

Kahlan shares the words of English contemporary writer Neil Gaiman. "The one thing that you have that nobody else has is you. Your voice, your mind, your story, your vision. So, write and draw and build and play and dance and live as only you can."

Vicki Gilhula is a freelance writer.


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