By Mary-Justine Lanyon
From honoring a great-uncle who fought and died in Vietnam to Miss America – a U.S. Air Force pilot – four students at Rim of the World High School created art to express their patriotism. That art was entered in the Veterans of Foreign Wars Auxiliary patriotic art contest for young Americans.
The four seniors revealed their work and were awarded their prizes by Auxiliary President Paul Hartman at a ceremony in the rotunda at the high school on May 14.
Each student was required to write about their creation; they read their essays at the ceremony.
“This work is one of my proudest creations I’ve ever made in my eight years of art,” wrote Christian Serrato. His pencil drawing of a bald eagle with an American flag can only be described as stunning. In his essay, Christian recalled being in first grade and looking up into the sky at an eagle. “To recreate that feeling in my artwork, I drew the eagle soaring over a lake to catch its prey. Just before the eagle pounces on the fish, an American flag manifests in the grasp of the eagle’s talons to resemble the land of a free country the eagle lives in.”
Christian Serrato’s stunning pencil drawing won first place locally and at the district level and third place in the state.
Christian’s work – titled “The Domain of a Vigorous Defender” – was awarded first place in the local competition, first at the district level and third overall at the state level.
Alexandria Shugard’s tombstone was awarded third place locally.
Alexandria Shugard wrote of her three-dimensional ceramic tombstone that it “stands as a tribute to the unshakeable spirit and selfless sacrifice of our nation…. At its core, it is a testament to the enduring values of duty, honor and courage. The soldier’s image, etched in ceramic, serves as a touching reminder of their bravery and unwavering commitment…. A single rose embodies the themes of love, grief and remembrance…. Through my piece I aim to inspire a profound sense of gratitude and respect, encouraging viewers to reflect on the sacrifices made by our nation’s servicemen and women in defense of liberty.”
Alexandria’s tombstone – titled “Eternal Tribute: A Soldier’s Remembrance” – was awarded third place locally.
Miss America 2024 inspired this piece by Ava Elledge, who was awarded second place locally.
Hearing the story of Miss America 2024 inspired Ava Elledge to create her ceramic statue. Madison Marsh, a U.S. Air Force pilot, was crowned Miss America 2024, the first member of the U.S. Armed Forces to be so crowned. The statue show Madison Marsh dressed in the skirt of her gown and the top of her camo uniform. Across her uniform she wears her “Miss America” sash.
Ava’s statue – titled “Miss America” – was awarded second place locally.
Inspired by his great-uncle’s death in Vietnam, Ethan Parcells created this piece which won first place locally and at the district level and second place in the state.
While his patriotic art piece was inspired by seeing the movie Hacksaw Ridge, Ethan Parcells’ piece is dedicated to the memory of his great-uncle Robert Chagoya Lira, who fought in Vietnam in 1969. “Robert was killed in battle at the age of only 20; his heroic death inspired me when I thought of making something patriotic…. With Robert’s and many other soldiers’ service in mind, I carefully sculpted a ceramic grave that expresses my respect for the young men and women who served our country. I sculpted two boots and an M-16 assault rifle used primarily in WWII.”
Ethan’s piece – titled “A Soldier at Rest” – won first place locally, first place at the district level and second place at state. His piece is still with the state, where it will be displayed and eventually returned to him.
Present at the ceremony were Rim High Principal Brian Willemse and Jason Stehmeier, the students’ ceramics teacher. Hartman thanked Jason Stehmeier and art teacher Morgan Stehmeier, who was unable to attend, for their guidance and for encouraging the students to enter the contest.
The Young American Creative Patriotic Art Contest was started in 1979, with the 3D component added in 2022.
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