Board of Education Recognitions
New Mexico State Fair Award Winning Student Artists
Cindy Garcia Ibarra and Adriana Cervantes Rodriguez were recognized for receiving New Mexico State Fair Art Awards.
The New Mexico State Fair collaborated with the New Mexico Public Education Department to exhibit student learning through the arts for all New Mexico students. The state fair publicized materials shared that “Arts in Education provides students with a creative outlet, arts are enrichment that facilitates social and academic growth.” And that “increasing scientific evidence supports that art fosters brain function and development in cultivating neural systems, which generate a wide range of benefits in fine motor skills, creativity, and enhanced emotional balance.” Nearly 1,000 student art submissions were showcased this year, representing ten New Mexico counties. Nine students were selected as award winners. Two of them were APS students! Cindy Garcia Ibarra of Washington Middle School won first place for the artwork she created last year as a student at Dolores Gonzales Elementary school under the tutelage of Russel Riekman. Adriana Cervantes Rodriguez of Tres Volcanes Community Collaborative School won second place for artwork she created last year as a student of S.R. Marmon Elementary School under the tutelage of Cassidy Williamson. Congratulations, Cindy and Adriana!