Over winter break Waller Junior High (WJH) student Rebecca Gonzales received amazing news. WJH Art Teacher Savannah Nichols called her and her family to announce that she had been chosen to compete in the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo Quick Draw Contest. Only 26 finalists are chosen to participate from all over Houston and surrounding areas.

“I am so proud of her! I told her to try and see what happens,” Nichols said. “She is very talented and I am so happy she got a chance to shine.”

On Jan. 19, Gonzales, along with her family and Nichols, attended the contest at the NRG Center in Houston. Like barrel racing in the rodeo arena, the Quick Draw Contest is a competition against the clock. The contestants are each given an 11-by-14-inch piece of paper to sketch their masterpiece in 50 minutes. The contest is split into two divisions: still life drawings for junior high and portrait or full-figure for high school.

To prepare for the competition, Nichols had 10 students stay after school for three days to attend tutorials. During this time, the students created their submission pieces. Students created black and white sketches of a boot with an apple and western fabric. They went in not knowing their subject and were also timed.

“I wanted it to be like they were at the event, not knowing what they were going to draw, it really shows their skills sets,” Nichols said.

Gonzales, along with all other participants, received a certificate for art classes at the Glassell Junior School of Art. The school is a teaching institute of the Houston Museum of Fine Arts. They offer art courses and workshops to students with a devotion to nurturing creativity and an appreciation of the arts.