Students pictured left to right-Manauri Marquez, Firebaugh High School; Ray Arroyo, Mendota High School; Sal Ochoa, Mendota High School; Edison Roman, Mendota High School; Heladio Vasquez, Firebaugh High School; Juan Rubalcaba, Firebaugh High School.

Judges pictured left to right-Juan Rubio, Rita Lozano, Marlese Roton.

West Fresno Crisis Center sponsors Essay Writing Contest

MAY 5 - In April, West Fresno Crisis Center sponsored an essay-writing contest for male students in the senior classes at Mendota and Firebaugh High Schools.  The contest titled “Why My Strength is Not For Hurting and What I Can do to Stop Violence Against Women” was an activity to engage young men in thinking about how their strength can be used for securing positive and respectful relationships with women. The MyStrength campaign is a statewide campaign that launched in October 2005.  The campaign targets young males between 14-18 years of age to involve them in preventing sexual violence within their communities.

West Fresno Crisis staff selected three finalist essays from each school.  The winning essay was selected by a panel of judges comprised of the following community members: Marlese Roton, West Hills College; Juan Rubio, West Hills College; and Rita Lozano, an employee of the City of Firebaugh.  Heladio Vasquez, a senior student at Firebaugh High School won the contest.  He received a laptop computer donated by the California Coalition Against Sexual Assault (CALCASA). The remaining finalists received t-shirts with the slogan “My Strength Is Not For Hurting”. For further information on the MyStrength campaign contact West Fresno Crisis Center at 659-0232 or go online @ www.MyStrength.org or www.MiFuerza.org.

First Annual Art Show Held at FHS

March is national Youth Art Month, and Firebaugh High School didn’t hesitate to show its support of young artists on campus. Last month, the art classes hosted the first annual art show at Firebaugh High School. The show displayed sculptures made by the talented students of the Art 2 and Advanced Art classes. The show, held in the art room, was a great success; more than one hundred students came to admire the work and enjoy refreshments provided by the hosting art classes.

Students who visited the show were given a card on which to record their comments and vote for their favorite pieces. The sculptures varied greatly in style and structure, but all represented the immense talent and creativity of each individual artist. From dramatic to fantastic, abstract to realistic, each sculpture was in itself a celebration of the limitless possibilities that exist in the mind of each artist, and each person. It did not matter which sculpture got the most votes because every student who participated gained from this experience. The artists had the chance to reach an audience of their peers and communicate their ideas through their art work. The audience benefited from the opportunity to appreciate the creativity of their fellow classmates and possibly be inspired to create something using their own talents. It was an enjoyable experience for everyone involved and hopefully next year will be even better!