Decked out in a red cape and a bedazzled eye mask, art teacher Cory Desmond transforms into “Zero the Hero,” a costumed superhero who visits kindergarten classrooms to teach students about the number zero. As he holds up his signature “zero of hearts” playing card before a crowd of rapt kindergarteners—also dressed up, albeit with gray wigs and canes—Mr. Desmond turns a math lesson into a memorable school tradition.
“It actually started on one of my first days of school here, when I introduced myself to Ms. Gerhard, [the head kindergarten teacher],” Cory Desmond, middle school and high school art teacher, said. “I mentioned to her that I had taught all grade levels before, including kindergarten through fifth grade. She told me that the previous Zero the Hero had left, and asked if I was interested…I also found out that I actually bought the mattress of the teacher who used to play Zero the Hero, so I like to think that the first day I woke up in SIS, the spirit of Zero the Hero was just absorbed into me.”
Zero the Hero visits the kindergarten classes for two main events: the 10th and 100th days of school. On the 10th day, Zero teaches kindergarteners the count of ten, first introducing the concept of the number zero. On the 100th day, the students dress up as 100-year-olds, and Zero returns to demonstrate the role that zero plays among numbers. More broadly, Zero also teaches students about collaboration by showing how zero gains value when paired with other numbers.
“Through Zero the Hero, I also try to encourage the students to be kind,” Mr. Desmond said. “Zero lets them know that we are all on our paths from zero to hero. It is a way to bring meaning into the classroom and to remember the importance of teamwork.”
Mr. Desmond explained that before teaching at SIS, he had taught students from kindergarten through 12th grade at schools in various countries, including in the United States, Vietnam, Argentina, Hong Kong, and Singapore. He noted that his experience working with elementary students has helped him create engaging activities in his role as Zero the Hero.
“The students very much look forward to Zero the Hero visiting,” Diahn Hill, kindergarten teacher, said. “They loved the excitement leading up to celebrating our first ‘zero day’ together, on the 10th day of school. His visits remind everyone that learning can be playful, and he helps build a positive, encouraging atmosphere. [He turns] learning into something magical.”
Despite knowing that the superhero cannot be real, Ms. Hill explained that the students nevertheless love the mystery of his identity. The kindergarteners spend the stretch of time between the 10th and the 100th day wondering who the real Zero the Hero is, unaware that Mr. Desmond is behind the mask. “Who does not love a superhero when you are five or six years old?” Ms. Hill said.
When not playing the superhero, Mr. Desmond teaches art to grades 6-8 and high school Design, and has also taught Foundations in Art & Design, Painting & Drawing, AP Drawing, and AP 2D Design in previous years. Art is another way that Mr. Desmond gives back to the school, helping to design the Terry Fox banner and the drama production sets.
Outside of school hours, he guides kindergarten and elementary students through art in the After School Enrichment (ASE) program. As Mr. Desmond explains color combinations and artistic techniques to the students, they are oblivious to the fact that Zero the Hero is before their very eyes. Whether he is teaching in the art room or visiting kindergarten classrooms as Zero, Mr. Desmond continues to use creativity to make learning memorable for students.
