The art department is celebrating five students after their artwork was selected to be featured in the visual arts scholastic event whose goal is to recognize exemplary student visual art achievements, last month and got into the state competition on Saturday, April 29, in San Marcos Consolidated School District.

“You can’t compare them—they’re different,” art teacher Pamela Spangler said. “They are all different in their own way. They’re all unique; they all have a unique perspective and different way of looking at things.”

Sophomore Randi Wilborn made a vase that inspired her to make a set over a course of three months. Throughout her journey, she said her mom and all her teachers supported her to keep going.

Competing is nothing new for Wilborn. She said her art teachers encouraged her to submit work for the 2022 district competition where she won.

“I used clay [to convey my feelings],” Wilborn said. “The experience and feeling of everyone like objects and people watching you always.”

Wilborn said her main supporter was her sculpture teacher, Adrian Quintanar. She said his class is “taught honestly,” and he pushed her to enter her vase onto VASE to get judged.

“I hope [she goes forward with a career in sculpting],” Quintanar said. “I have asked her I know they’re extremely interested in art. [But I am still] immensely proud of all my students all of them. “

Along with Wilborn, sophomore VASE finalist Lauren Baez is also a first time competer who got awarded into state. When she went in to the first competition, she said she felt she did a bad job in the interview which is a big part of the judging determining if you get to go to state.

“It took me a couple of weeks to finish the actual project,” Baez said. “Going into it I was really scared I also felt underprepared. [However,] I really enjoyed it because I got to compete with something I am good at and be surrounded by people who both have the same interest as me and similar aspirations as me, but it is also cool to see everybody’s work.”

Seniors Abigail Terry and Giana Matheny and sophomore Morgan Trujillo also advanced to state, and they look forward to competing at the state level.