FONTANA, CA – A.B. Miller High School students wowed judges with their original artwork, as five students earned top honors, including two Best of Show awards, at the 2024 San Bernardino County Fair (SBCF)’s highly competitive Youth Arts Competition.

Evalena Carbajal and April Garcia won Best of Show awards in the SBCF’s Youth Arts poetry and Día De Los Muertos divisions, respectively. The competition was open to all San Bernardino County residents. A.B. Miller students took first and second in both divisions and swept the top three places in poetry, with Jasmine Mojica and Bella Rojas taking second and third place in poetry, while Adriana Sánchez took second in the Día De Los Muertos division.

All five works resulted from projects A.B. Miller students worked on throughout the school year in Spanish teacher Dr. Sybil Acevedo’s class. Each year, Dr. Acevedo collects and submits the pieces to the SBCF – covering the cost of submission herself.

“We want to show the best of A.B. Miller, I am always amazed at how much artistic talent we have here,” Dr. Acevedo said. “Their work is beautiful, and these assignments are a tangible way for them to express themselves.”

Dr. Acevedo prompted students to create an acronym using Spanish adjectives for every letter in their last name while incorporating their national flag in the background, with those pieces being submitted to the SBCF Youth Arts Competition’s poetry division. Carbajal, who is enrolled in A.B. Miller’s Advanced Placement art class, won Best in Show for her piece that showcased her artistic passions and “Latina American” roots.

Each fall, Dr. Acevedo hosts a Día De Los Muertos skull art competition open to all students on campus. Garcia won Best in Show for her sketch of a vibrant, festive cat skull.

Dr. Acevedo could not wait until the San Bernardino County Fair was over and drove out to the Fair to see how her students’ projects faired in competition. She then called Carbajal and Garcia’s parents to share the good news on their winning pieces.

“I really felt a sense of pride and accomplishment I had won,” said Carbajal, who aspires to become a fashion designer. “It has opened my eyes, if I can do this there is so much more I can achieve. I want to keep pursuing art and see what other opportunities come with it.”

PHOTO CAPTIONS:

FUSD_ART1: A.B. Miller High student Evalena Carbajal, left, and Principal Dr. Barbara Kelley celebrate Carbajal winning Best in Show in the poetry division of San Bernardino County Fair’s 2024 Youth Art Competition. Carbajal’s victorious piece showcased her artistic passions and “Latina American” roots.

FUSD_ART2: A.B. Miller High student April Garcia, left, and Principal Dr. Barbara Kelley celebrate Garcia winning Best in Show in the Día De Los Muertos division of San Bernardino County Fair’s 2024 Youth Art Competition. Five A.B. Miller students earned top three places in the competition.