Six art students will gather to compete at the Big Fresno Fair in the annual Chalk Art Contest on Oct 10.

Each year a handful of students participate in the annual Chalk Art Contest portion of the Big Fresno Fair. This year?s participants: seniors Alicia Waters, Perri Potigian, Sarah Bonnar, Nichole Boothroyd, Meghan Joy and junior Ie Roon Jung hope this year to be as productive as the previous year.

?Last year I felt that my art skills improved,? Bonnar said. ?I hope this time they will improve even more.?

This year most of the students will participate in their second year. Participants of last year seem to appreciate the idea of Chalk Art.

?It was actually interesting to be a part of that experience last year,? Jung said. ?It?s a different way to express yourself than with just paper and pencil.?

Alumni Corrine Pogue (’06) received an honorable mention last year. For the returning students the fair event is also an opportunity to present their work in a new venue.

?This year was a good experience for me,? Waters said. ?Last year I was excited that thousands of people would view my work.?

In addition to the unique opportunity this provides, the judges? comments are another highlight of the contest for students.

?People commenting on my artwork is something I love,? Jung said. ?It shows me what I need to work on and what I should do more of, so the judges? comments are the best part for me.?

This opportunity not only benefits the students, but the campus as well.

?It?s a way to represent our school and let the public know who we are,? Sharon Scharf, art teacher said. ?It?s rewarding to those who are willing to put in the extra effort.?