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EDUCATION

APS students show their creative talent in 'I Voted' sticker designs

Artwork selected fits the theme 'Voting is Your Superpower'

Richard Chandler shows his "I Voted" sticker after casting his ballot on the first day of early in-person voting in Albuquerque in 2024.
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The winning artists:

Zoey Harris, grade 2, John Baker Elementary School

Bryce Tumpane, grade 4, Oñate Elementary School

Elias Silva, grade 5, Coronado Elementary School

Maya Flores Leggett, grade 5, Sandia Base Elementary School

Catalina Jaramillo, grade 6, Tony Hillerman Middle School

Sarah Salazar, grade 7, Eisenhower Middle School

Gwendalyn-Grace Schuh, grade 8, Roosevelt Middle School

Kylee Randolph, grade 8, Roosevelt Middle School

Lianna Tran, grade 11, ϼ Vista High School

Micah Solomon, grade 11, ϼ Vista High School

Joni Estonactoc, grade 11, ϼ Vista High School

Rose Griesmeyer, grade 11, Sandia High School

Twelve Albuquerque Public Schools students’ designs have been selected for the latest round of “I Voted” stickers for use in the upcoming general election.

Students have designed the stickers, which will be handed out to voters throughout Bernalillo County in November, for the third year in a row, said Michelle Sanchez-St. Andre, director of visual arts for APS. This year’s contest — for artwork fitting the theme “Voting is Your Superpower” — drew about 500 submissions from kindergarten through 12th grades, she said.

“I think it’s a great representation of the K-12 students,” Sanchez-St. Andre said. “We really wanted to include some with the theme, and then some that were just beautiful expressions of New Mexico.”

The winners — who were in grades 2 through 11 when they made their designs — were honored at Wednesday’s meeting of the Bernalillo County Commission. Their designs honor their home state with images of cactuses, roadrunners, chile peppers and hot air balloons.

Maya Flores Leggett’s winning drawing of a girl in a Zia T-shirt wearing a cape was inspired by her and her sister, who both have brown hair, like the girl in the drawing, she said.

Having her artwork selected feels “amazing,” said Flores Leggett, 11, now in sixth grade at Albuquerque School of Excellence.

Other students opted for nontraditional drawing methods, like Micah Solomon, 17, now a senior at ϼ Vista High School, who used a computer illustration program to make his design — superheroes against an Albuquerque skyline.

“I wanted to include Albuquerque in it,” he said.

Natalie Robbins covers education for the Journal. You can reach her at nrobbins@abqjournal.com.