Cathleen Allison/Nevada AppealBordewich-Bray Elementary students Hayden Story, 8, and Cherie Pace, 10, show off their winning artwork at the library. More than 600 students participated in the contest to create reading-related art for the library walls and student votes determined the winners. During the summer break, Sign Pro transferred the drawings to walls.
Bordewich-Bray Elementary School students Cherie Pace and Hayden Story have for sure left their mark on the school.
The two were selected by their peers to have mural-sized replicas of their winning drawings displayed on the wall of the library.
"My mom really wanted my picture on the wall forever until they wreck the school," Hayden, 8, said. "I was up until 1:30 in the morning drawing it."
When the contest to draw a picture representing the library as well as the school's mascot and motto was announced last year, Hayden, then a second-grader, instantly knew he wanted to enter.
"I've been drawing since I learned to color," he said. "Like since I was 3."
Cherie, 10, got a bit of a later start at 6, but entered the contest as well. She went home and immediately drew her picture. She mostly likes to draw "flowers and houses and stuff like that and imaginary creatures."
"There's this little heart thing I like to draw," she explained. "It's like a heart bug."
More than 600 students entered the contest last year. One drawing was chosen from each class, then the finalists were narrowed down to four.
Those four were displayed in the library and students voted on their favorites. The top two " one from kindergarten through second grade and another from third through fifth " were selected.
Over the summer, Sign Pro created mural-sized replicas of the drawings to hang in the library.
Casey Gilles, vice principal, said the school is dedicated to promoting a "culture of students."
When it first re-opened in 2004 after an addition and major renovations, the school hosted a competition for a student to design the school's emblem around its mascot, the dolphin. Students also chose the motto: SPLASH, which stands for Students Perform Learn Achieve and Show School Spirit.
The artwork to decorate the gymnasium was also voted on by the student body.
"They've been able to help choose the decorations for the school since it was built," Gilles said. "We want this to be a child-friendly school."
She said she would like to see more of the students' work on display.
Cherie would like to see that, too.
"I'm gonna try to get another picture on the wall," she said.
- Contact reporter Teri Vance at tvance@nevadaappeal.com or 881-1272.