EDUCATION
APS students show their creative talent in 'I Voted' sticker designs
Artwork selected fits the theme 'Voting is Your Superpower'
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.