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Boston Latin Student Completes More Than 400 Drawings Of Classmates

BOSTON (CBS) -- To say Boston Latin School senior Phillip Sossou has an eye for detail is not painting the full picture.

Sossou's a gifted artist who has a heart for each one of his fellow senior classmates. As a gift to them, he drew a charcoal portrait of them of all.

"Yeah, 411 portraits. No big deal right?" he said with a laugh.

Boston Latin School Art
Senior Phillip Sossou shows off his artwork at Boston Latin School on Friday. (WBZ-TV)

At first, it seemed like an impossible task.

"When Phillip told me he was going to do it, I said 'I don't think so, Phil. Not going to happen,'" said Stephen Harris, Sossou's art teacher.

Sossou said he drew every single day, beginning in February. He devoted all of his free time to this project.

Boston Latin School Art
A Boston Latin School student drew more than 400 charcoal drawings of the entire Class of 2016. (WBZ-TV)

"Phillip is a gift and he stands out," Harris says.

When his fellow seniors arrived to school Friday, many cried when they saw their portrait.

"He's leaving behind his own legacy and his final gift to his whole class to make sure everyone is noticed," says student Justin Springle.

Boston Latin has had a challenging year regarding racial tension. Sossou wanted to draw a different picture.

"I'm not sure if it brought people together, but at least for one day people can appreciate we are all from the same place," he said.

WBZ NewsRadio 1030's Carl Stevens reports

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