NAHS attends chalk art contest

than last time, some aspects of the festival still caught her by surprise.

stories, as it did for Junior Anouska Seal. A few years ago, Seal’s grandma was chosen as a candidate for knee implant surgery. As her family researched the pros and cons of the surgery, they discovered that they have very high rates of infection due to antibiotic resistance. Since the problem affects millions each year, Seal chose to study antibiotic resistance and ways to combat it.

After coming up with their research questions, both Seal and Ortiz-Brito had to go through multiple rounds of paperwork to join the competition. Approval from the county board was slow to obtain, and gave students a small window of time to complete their research.

“I did my project in two weeks, but it was a lot of going to the lab every single day [and] staying until five or six to get all the work done,” Seal said.

Witha few stunning murals already under its belt, the National Art Honor Society made a return to chalk art competitions.

“We had a great time and could really take advantage of the fact that we did a mural competition back in November,” NAHS sponsor Omar Otero said. “The murals turned out beautifully.”

On Friday, NAHS attended the Creative Arts Festival at Faith Christian Academy after their success at the previous Arts for Life Festival in Winter Park, where they won first place in the European Master Portrait chalk art imitation contest, despite never having participated in a mural competition previously.

“I would say that our success encouraged us to sign up for this one more than anything,” NAHS vice president Caitlyn Hale said. “A representative from Faith Christian Academy liked our work so much that they invited us to this competition.”

Otero and six NAHS members arrived at Faith Christian Academy at 11 a.m., leaving plenty of time to plan out their murals. Following the competition guidelines, the club created three Florida-themed murals. Hale, who worked on a landscape drawing of the Fort Myers’ pier with president Amanda Negron, said that while her group came more prepared

“We were the only public school students there, and there were at least 30 other teams,” Hale said.

Along with the Fort Myers pier, the club members also drew murals depicting orange blossoms, alligators, and a sun setting over the Everglades. According to Otero, the theme allowed the group to create murals based off of their own experiences in Florida, while the last competition, which required them to draw murals based on European works of art, did not allow them to do that.

“We didn’t take home any awards this time because there were so many teams, which we weren’t expecting,” Hale said. “But I’m still looking forward to showcasing our work at Altamonte next month.”

NHS donates blankets to Winnie Palmer hospital

With piles of different patterned fabric, stuffing and sewing materials, the National Honor Society got to work. On Feb. 15, the club got together to provide for the kids in the Orlando Winnie Palmer Hospital’s care, putting together blankets, pillows and snoodles, small cuddle toys to keep babies comforted when in the NICU. All of the products were handmade by students, adding personalization and love to the gift.

“The purpose of the event was to create little snuggle [products], and we’re going to donate them… just for the children in the NICU,” president Chelsea Nguyen said.

The hospital’s main specialty is maternity, but they are home to many infants born with birth defects. Many of the children here are very young and are always in need of comfort and entertainment, especially when they are separated from their parents. The club wanted to provide support, not only to the hospital, but to the babies that need care the most.

In just three hours, they were able to create over 20 blankets for both children and infants, as well as 10 pillows and 10 snoodles. The turnout was high with about 40 attendees, each required to make at least one thing.

The club focuses on bringing the members together to do important volunteer work, building students’ character and service.

Recently, the club’s sponsor Megan Thompson sent letters out to eligible students inviting them to apply, and with applications submitted early this month, the addition of new members will allow the club to partake in such events in the future once they are accepted.