Hidalgo ISD’s Early College High School (HECHS) provides students with creative and innovative learning horizons by implementing hands-on experiences.
In an effort in continuing to support an innovative learning environment, HEHCS art educator, Amanda Montelongo, also known as Ms. Mo, and her Art 3 class kick off the new school year by creating a mural showcasing their school pride, while fostering creativity, and unity.
“I wanted to create a mural that touched on school pride and pride as an artist and provide my students with something inspiring to look at, as it sets the creative tone and environment for each one of my classes,” explained Montelongo. “I completed the base of the mural with the brick wall, the Hidalgo "H" and the title ‘Miss Mo's Young Artists Are:’ and I intentionally left out the words that describe my young artists, because I wanted the students to come up with their own descriptive words. My other art class periods also collaborated as they all had the opportunity to contribute/suggest on the words that inspired them most.”
Teamwork and collaboration were displayed by the students throughout the entire project. Additionally, art collaboration led to more vibrant, innovative, and impactful work, enriching the creative process, and developing the possibilities of what art can achieve.
“I have taken Art for two years, now, however, we never stop learning, especially when we get introduced to new learning experiences, and new teachers, the learning possibilities become endless,” said senior, Jorge Acevedo. “As I was tracing the letters on my word, I made several mistakes along the way, but what you after that to fix it, it’s what matters, and that made an impact on me and my artwork.”
Students were encouraged not only to come up with a word that described them, but also to create their own font design. Each word was uniquely expressed and painted freehanded by each student in Montelongo’s Art class.
The following ten students participated in creating the mural: Gabriela Mata, senior, Natalia Soberon, senior, Tomás De León Jr., senior, José González-Atilano Jr., senior, Alexander Carlos, senior, Susie Reyes, junior, Victor Lara Hernández, senior, Jorge Acevedo Jr., senior, Jonathan Mandujano, senior, and José Gonzales-Prado, senior.
“Ms. Mo is very cool, and I loved that she found a way to inspire us through this mural,” said Soberon.
“During this project, Ms. Mo did more than just motivate us in bringing this mural to life. She helped us believe in ourselves by simply coming together and expressing ourselves through this mural.”
This year, the mural in Montelogo’s Art 3 class will be a constant reminder of who the students can become, even if it seems impossible to do so.
“I intend to push all of my students, especially these Art 3 students to do things out of their comfort zone, so they can take these skills out into the world after they graduate,” stated Montelongo.
A pivotal goal for Montelogo is to promote art in many forms by building confidence, creativity, and an effective way for students to express their emotions and experiences that may be difficult to put into words.
Love, understanding and appreciation for the love of art are a few things Montelogo hopes to instill in her students