The artistic Dons of Cerritos High School displayed their drawings, paintings, and sculptures at the VAPA Art Showcase on March 6. With two showcases during the school day and 6p.m., students were invited into the Cerritos High School Library for the art exhibition, viewing the various art pieces created by participants. The event was set up by teachers Mr. Kenji Yamamoto, Mr. Vincent Van Groenou, Mr. Joe Randeen, and Mrs. Quiggle as main director with the help of Advanced Art II and Ceramics II/III/IV students.
With permission from teachers, students from every period throughout the school day were invited to check out the event. Displays were divided by category, including: Drawing & Painting, Digital Art, 3-Dimensional Art, and Photography. Dons crowded around, admiring the works and trying to interpret their meaning.
Multiple art boards were scattered around the library, inviting passersby to draw whatever came to imagination. Students were also given colorful paper leaves to color and doodle on, which were grafted onto a massive paper tree, symbolizing the togetherness of the Cerritos High School community. “We want this event to inspire the young artists of Cerritos,” said President of Art Club senior Ruhaab Fatima, “with art being taken over by A.I., it’s a great time to let your talents and creativity shine.”
At the evening showcase at 6p.m., students and parents with tickets were welcomed in by VAPA helpers and CHEF representatives. As guests helped themselves to the various refreshments available, VP of Art Programs Vandana Karthikeya introduced the important CHEF directors, adjudicators, sponsors, volunteers, and special guests responsible for making this event possible. Amongst the special guests was Principal Dr. Crechena Wise, who thanked everyone for coming and expressed her love for the talented artists present.
Guests could also pay $1 for a raffle ticket. With a raffle happening every 10 minutes, guests could win gift cards for Baskin-Robbins, Chick Fil-A, Color My World Art Studio, Mrs. Fields and receive a Nothing Bundt Cake– all being sponsors of CHEF and VAPA.
At 7:15p.m., guests gathered for the CHS Education Foundation Art Contest Awards. The entries were separated into five categories: Special Artists, Performing Art, Drawing & Painting, 3-Dimensional Art, and Digital Art, Photo, & Film, with the top 3 revealed in each category receiving a trophy. The winners were chosen by the adjudicators, consisting of Cerritos High School’s VAPA Alumni and industry professional Ryan Grotesk.
In the Special Artist category, freshman Autumn Baron came in first place with her colored pencil & graphite artwork, Speech.
In the Performing Art category, junior John Luna came in third place with his performance in Moving Too Fast. Luna and sophomore Jude Vang came in second place with their performance in Two Player Game. In first place were seniors Benjamin Crawford and Hannah Avinger with their performance in Therapy-Tick.
In the 3-Dimension Art category, senior Brianah Llamas came in third place with her clay, acrylic paint, and cardboard art piece, KoiL. Senior Victoria Blackwell came in second place with her glazed stoneware art piece, Readin Sun. In first place was senior Nikaela Manalaysay with her glazed stoneware art piece, Tusky.
In the Digital Art, Photo, & Film category, senior Isabell Pan came in third place with her Ibis Paint X artwork, A Taste Across the World. Sophomore Camilla Lee came in third place with her Adobe Photoshop artwork, Ruins in a Swamp. In first place was senior Tamia White with her Adobe Premiere Pro short film, “Enjoy the Small Things.”
In the Drawing & Painting category, junior Mason Shin came in third place with his acrylic artwork, Everybody OUT! Freshman Rachel Li came in second place with her acrylic artwork, Where Courts Meet, I Become. In first place was junior Siddhi Karthikeya with her alcohol marker artwork, The Distraction.
Congratulations to the winners of the CHS Education Foundation Art Contest. However, every participant still won at the showcase in some way, as they were able to display their passion and talents to the Dons of Cerritos High School. “Number one priority is celebration– to celebrate our artists, make them visible, and to give them the compliments and recognition they deserve for the talents they’ve developed,” said Quiggle.
The VAPA Art Showcase proved to be a great success, providing a satisfying end to the VAPA Week of the 2025-2026 school year.
