ART: Poly students are awarded for their exceptional entries in the Reflections art competition.
By Chloe Vega, Staff Writer
In a day and age where the majority of human communication is completed through technology, art wields a special power. It allows individuals to indirectly convey their feelings and explore their artistic potential.
Poly High School offers students the opportunity to explore and display their creative talents, through the annual Riverside Unified School District (RUSD) Reflections art contest. The contest provides a public platform for the students to share their art, and to experience firsthand how other individuals view it. “Everyone that entered benefitted from the added pressure of having someone judge their creative work. [Art] is assigned a value based on what other people think,” Mr. Habereder, the director of Poly’s music technology program, stated.
Students submitted works of art fitting this year’s category of “Within Reach.” The categories include visual arts, photography, musical composition, and literary works. The students compete in categories they are passionate about, or familiar with. “I have an overwhelming passion for sharing my art form with other people. I love how pictures capture a perfect moment in time, unchanged and untouched,” Jacob Garcia (12), a student who participated in the photography category, remarked.
Other adventurous students explored something entirely new to them. “I’m a part of the Riverside Poly marching band drumline, and I wanted to see what it was like to be in the perspective of a musical composer, instead of a performer,” Richmond Baylon (12) explained, in reference to the music he composed for his entry.
In total, 64 Poly students participated. Below the article is a complete list of all of the winners and the placements they received.
In February of 2018, the Poly students who placed first place in their categories will be given the opportunity to move on and compete against the other winners in RUSD. We wish them the best of luck, and hopefully they will continue to pursue their artistic endeavors in the future. “Those that did not win learned from the disappointment of not winning and also learned to accept the fact that their losses only represented a few people’s opinion. The students who won truly appreciate the recognition. These wins inspired the entire class,” Habereder said.
Music Tech
First Place- Saul Ochoa (11)
Second Place- Matthew Gomez (12)
Third Place- Richmond Baylon (12)
Visual Arts
First Place- Jay Torres (9)
Second Place- Haley Medina (12)
Third Place- Anette Gomez (10)
Photography
First Place-Lizabeth Macias (12)
Second Place- Jacob Garcia (12)
Special Needs
First place- Rebecca Fisher (10)
Literature
First Place- Kathleen Lynch (10)
Second Place-Caiden Schwartz (12)