Wolf Point Students Receive Keep Montana Green Art Honors
Two talented students in Wolf Point have been recognized for their art work by the Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation.
Kailayla Villaluz, a sophomore, and Caitlin Mendoza, a seventh-grade student, each earned regional honors for northeastern Montana in the annual Keep Montana Green art contest.
Mendoza captured top honors in the junior division for grades 7-9.
The seventh-grade student was surprised and emotional when she heard the news that she took first place in the region.
Mendoza says she likes art class and especially drawing.
Villaluz received honorable mention in the senior division for grades 10-12.
“I was pleased and a little nervous when I turned it in,” Villaluz said. She explained that the entries needed to feature this year’s theme, “Stray Sparks Cause Starts.”
Villaluz is very active at Wolf Point High School since she is involved in tennis, wrestling, volleyball and flag football.
Art is one of her favorite classes. “I like how creative I can be.”
This year’s regional contest attracted 347 entries from 12 schools spanning 13 counties in central and northeastern Montana.
“I am consistently impressed by the artwork and novel ideas of our central Montana youth,” said Jocee Hedrick, area manager of the DNRC Northeastern Land Office in a press release. “The Keep Montana Green art contest continues to bring wildfire education to our local youth through a fun creative contest. Our staff at DNRC always enjoy the opportunity to judge this contest each year.”
Regional winners advance to the statewide competition to be judged against other regional winners. State winners’ artwork will be featured in the annual Keep Montana Green calendar.
Other regional winners for northeastern Montana include Stanford’s Riley Ridgeway in grades K-3, Central Montana Home School’s Wyatt Schultz for grades 4-6 and Fort Benton’s Hanna Bach for grades 10-12.
