Texas Border Business
EDINBURG – For the second year in a row, a student from the Edinburg Consolidated Independent School District has won the annual Don’t mess with Texas® K-12 Art Contest.
Brittlee Garcia, a recent graduate from Edinburg North High School (ENHS), was one of only 14 students from across the state whose winning artwork was selected by Keep Texas Beautiful and The Texas Department of Transportation to appear in the 2020 Don’t mess with Texas® Calendar.
“It feels really good, because it’s a state contest and now a lot of people are going to get to see it,” Garcia said. “It really makes me happy that I accomplished something after everything.
Garcia, who is currently studying nursing at South Texas College with a minor in art, said that the support from her teachers motivated her to create the winning artwork, which depicts a cowgirl riding a horse through a Texas landscape.
“I was thinking about Texas and how there are always cactuses, blue bonnets and horses,” she said. “I noticed that not a lot of people think about the western style of cowboys and cowgirls. So, I incorporated it into my art with the desert, canyons and stuff to get all that effect in there.”
According to Keep Texas Beautiful, 3,407 students submitted their artwork this year and at least one winner was chosen from each grade level. The 12 winning designs are assigned to a month in the calendar and two additional are featured on the front and back cover of the 2020 Don’t mess with Texas calendar.
“I’m really excited that Edinburg North High School had a winner for the second time in a row, which I believe we are the only school that’s been able to pull that off,” said Manuel Saenz Jr., head of the ENHS Fine Arts Department. “I’m so proud of Brittlee.”
Last year, Edgar Leal, who is also a student at Edinburg North High School, had his winning entry grace the pages of the calendar.
“I’m really proud of the Edinburg North Department of Art, our faculty, our students and our administrators,” Saenz said. “We are making art an important part of the culture here at Edinburg North, the Edinburg community, and really the state community.”
The contest encourages young Texans to keep Texas roadways and the environment clean and free of litter. The contest was open to students in kindergarten through 12th grade and sponsored by H-E-B/Central Market and Buc-ee’s.
“It’s wonderful news. Brittlee is an amazing student,” ENHS Principal Mark Micallef said. “We are here to support her and to support all the students at Edinburg North. We know that they are very talented and want to make sure that talent is brought forward.”
Each student wins a framed version of their winning artwork, a $100 Visa gift card donated by Keep Texas Beautiful and a gift basket full of their favorite goodies from Texas’ legendary store Buc-ee’s. Teachers representing students who produce the top 14 designs also win a $100 H-E-B/Central Market gift card.
“We were amazed by the incredible talents of Texas schoolchildren from around the state,” said Suzanne Kho, Executive Director of Keep Texas Beautiful. “It was challenging to choose just 14 winners from the thousands of entries, but we are excited to share the winning designs that remind all Texans of the importance of keeping our great state clean and litter-free.”
More information, including how to request your free 2019 or upcoming 2020 calendar is available at https://ktb.org/artcontest.
