From Apr. 11 to 24, Amador Valley’s Wellness Center hosted an art contest that will help decorate the room. Participating students had to create a piece that reflected ‘wellness’ and submit their design to the Wellness Center counselor, Cindy Tovar, who had initially come up with the idea of hosting the contest.

“I wanted to fill the Wellness Center with more artwork. And I thought it’d be a great idea if the students themselves make that art. I could’ve purchased something myself, but it’s just nicer if the room is decorated with whatever vibes students would like and want,” said Tovar.

Students often head to the Wellness Center for a short break, making use of the relaxing activities provided there. The Wellness Center also hosts different workshops meant to help students de-stress during ACCESS periods. Such workshops can range from stress-management and coping methods to art and yoga sessions.

“In the Wellness Center, we often have arts and crafts supplies. We’ve also hosted a few painting and popcorn workshops among others. Even just day-to-day, Ms. Tovar has seen a lot of the art that students create. And so she thought we have clearly a lot of creative and talented students on campus. She also noticed that the Wellness Center could use an upgrade of sorts and make use of all the wall space we have,” said Jennifer Yu, AV student support counselor.

The counselors will choose five student submissions to display in the Wellness Center. Winning students must redraw their artworks onto already-prepared canvases that will decorate the room walls. However, if the winning piece is difficult to enlarge or transfer, then the counselors will simply present it differently.

“We’d received some large canvases as a donation, and we wanted to put them to good use. Students whose art gets picked will be given a canvas and asked to recreate their submission on a bigger scale,” said Tovar.

Following the contest’s theme, students should create a design that reflects wellness and can relate to other students. They can create something based on the Wellness Center itself, the school community, or just something peaceful.

“Visual art is a powerful way to communicate messages. I think when students see the artwork, it’ll remind them of the importance of mindfulness and self-care. I think for wellness-themed art, I would draw inspiration from things that make me relaxed— things like nature or music,” said Joseph Li (‘24), treasurer of the AV Art Club.