MARION — Despite his curly locks, eleven-year-old Elliot Ambrosi decided to embody chaetophobia, the fear of hair, for “Vocabulary Day” at Sippican School.

“I wanted to be fluffy,” said Ambrosi, who used fluff borrowed from his sister’s jacket to complete his costume. 

Students gathered in the hallways to view photographs of themselves in costume as vocabulary words during an art  exhibit on Tuesday, June 6.

According to librarian Jessica Barrett, Vocabulary Day is an annual event held before spring break where students dress in costumes representing their chosen vocabulary word.

“The goal is that [the students] are leaving with a better understanding of what the words mean and being able to use them now that they have seen them,” said Barrett. 

Clowder, poulterer and botanical were only a few of the vocabulary words students personified. 

Photographer Corinna Raznikov and her son Harry Wisner have been photographing students in their Vocabulary Day costumes at Sippican School for over ten years. 

“It is a celebration of words and art,” said Raznikov. “They all become part of an art project.”

According to Raznikov, parents and students take home their photographs after the exhibit. 

“Some of [the parents] have seven years worth of photographs,” she said. “They cherish them.”