Artistic
Assembly
Program
"I would like to thank you for presenting to our students a
new type of assembly that promotes hope inspired by creativity!”
-Teresa Howard, Vice Principal, Littlerock High School
Our Artistic Assembly program is part lecture, and part concert. In this unique high school assembly, our founder, Cynda Renae, tells her story of pain interwoven with performances of songs she wrote to heal from trauma. The lecture empowers students with a message of hope through artistic expression. The high-energy concert will have your students rocking out!
With a focus on mental health and suicide prevention, the Artistic Assembly program will leave students inspired and transformed. Students will also be informed of our online database of crisis resources for those who need extra support. Afterwards, the band is available to meet and take pictures with the students. The program lasts approximately 45 minutes and can be performed in the auditorium or gymnasium, with a full band including drums and guitar amps.
Prior Performances
North Hollywood High School Los Angeles Unified
Milikan High School Long Beach Unified
Hawthorne High School Centinela Valley Union
Buena Park High School Fullerton Joint Union
Redlands East Valley High School Redlands Unified
Arroyo Valley High School San Bernardino City Unified
Indian Springs High School San Bernardino City Unified
San Gorgonio High School San Bernardino City Unified
Littlerock High School Antelope Valley Union
I loved the songs you played today for our school. I was truly inspired on being a better person
and being more positive about myself. -Ahani, HS student
The Story & The Movement
Growing up can be hard, but for Cynda Renae, it seemed impossible. Raised by a unfit mother, childhood came with dirty clothes, knotted hair and spoiled food. As a teenager, she could no longer stand the neglect nor deal with her mother's mental health episodes. Suicidal thoughts crept in, but through journaling and writing poems, she held out hope for a better future.
After moving away for college, her life seemed to have finally turned around. This positive change was derailed the night she was kidnapped and raped at gunpoint while walking to her car. The first policemen she told did not believe her, leaving her feeling alone, depressed and suicidal once more. This is when music saved her. She began to write songs about the pain she was going through.
Those songs became the basis for her to form the band Cockeyed Optimist, which means to have hope for the future even while facing adversity in the present. As she performed the songs written about trauma and pain, Cynda found her healing. Knowing what art had helped her overcome, she wanted to empower others. In 2014, I Am A Cockeyed Optimist, a nonprofit dedicated to spreading hope and healing through positive artistic expression was born. With a focus on teens and young adults, I Am A Cockeyed Optimist hopes to make the current mental health epidemic, a thing of the past.
"I really enjoyed you guys being at my school today, I am able to relate to Cynda's story a lot...
my only wish would be for no one to feel alone." -Erica, HS Student