The art room is a comfortable place for students to express themselves freely through a variety of art tools. Anything is possible with art, it is a language that is used to manifest personal feelings and ideas that everyday words cannot express. 

     “It’s such a calming yet productive kind of environment,” senior AP art student Alexis Medina said. “Having a good teacher and students by your side is really what makes it such a comfortable place to work.”

    In one classroom, art teacher Eduardo Saucedo strives to have students continue to improve their drawing skills. He hopes to display more artwork that gives insight to art students style.

    “The goal is to have the students continue to practice and become a better artist or in other words reach a new level of a better artist,” Saucedo said

    In the other classroom art teacher Raul Monares asks for the best from his students when they create and he enjoys when they show their interest in art.

    “The stress for me can be from students not putting their best foot forward who lose interest in it all,” Monares said. “The reason is because you want your students to do the best they can.”   

    These teachers hope to see their students show off those art skills at upcoming events like the Dia De Los Muertos and the Christmas Card competition coming up in October and November.

    “I’m participating in the Day Of The Dead competition because you get to draw in memory of loved ones,” Medina said. “I am also participating in the Christmas Card competition because you get to express your creativity.”

    Artists, like Medina and senior AP art student Miriam Aguilar, find a safe place to work on their drawings for competitions and have the opportunity to be creative.

    “Participating in these events for me is just a matter of being confident in your pieces,” Aguilar said. “You also get to add on to your existing skills. It can become stressful when coming up with an original art piece but focusing on that piece is what takes away that initial stress.” 

    When it comes to competitions, Monares prepares his students in a way that allows them to work freely but work to their highest potential. 

    “You just got to give them that push, and ask for the best and students for the most part will rise to the occasion,” Monares said. 

    It’s not just the AP students who get to work freely. Junior art student Ava Vasquez has found a way to express herself through art pieces she creates in the classroom. 

    “I don’t participate in competitions but still it’s a pretty comforting environment because I do enjoy the way I get to express myself,” Vasquez said. “It’s an outlet, and being in it I hope to learn new techniques and get better at drawing.”