The Reveal

by Jazzy Alvarado

The Carrying Stories artwork and writing project recently ended for the 2021-2022 school year. After an entire year of challenging work and perseverance the junior literature students along with a class of junior Spanish students had their art highlighted at Gazebo Gardens Nursery on Thursday April 7th.  

Only the finished butterflies were put on display and all students were encouraged to go to the event. The set up for the event started around 2:30pm which meant Ms. Santos’ sixth period along with Mr. Garcia’s sixth period walked to Gazebo Gardens (with parent permission) during this time. When they arrived at Gazebo Gardens Nursery, students were instructed to help unload the U-Haul holding the canvases. Ms. Santos explained how she wanted the butterflies lined up and students got right to work.  

Students were only required to stay until 3pm which is when school dismissal is, but if they stayed until 5:30pm they received extra credit. The students who stayed to help also received free pizza and drinks as a thank you for their assistance. Ms. Walker, Mr. Kaup and a few other teachers and admin were also there helping with the event along with a few media students there to capture the magic.  

The Carrying Stories projects are put on display for all of Fresno to see and as a way for the students of the community to be appreciated. The event is an away for the public to have the opportunity to connect with a student through their stories. Not only does the event benefit Fresno High and its students/staff, but it helps business at Gazebo Gardens and increases community involvement.  

The event is usually called an Art Hop where a big crowd of people come to enjoy music, food, and the scenery of being at a nursery. Ms. Santos and the other admin involved believe the show is always a success and that it is an event enjoyed by people all over the community.  

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Ready for an Art Showing

Make sure to come out this Thursday night and see the final products of this year’s juniors. They will be showcased at Gazebo Gardens.

Nearing the Completion Point

by Jazzy Alvarado

Carrying Stories.

Carrying Stories, the art-based writing project that Ms. Marina Santos started has been ongoing throughout this entire school year, but it is closely ending. Once again, Ms. Santos created the project because she wanted a fun assignment where her students had the liberty to be creative while doing something meaningful. This art project is something that students and the community we live in benefit from emotionally and visually. 

The students currently working on this assignment are eager to finish their creative art and finally get to display their beautiful butterflies. With the finality of the project around the corner, time is starting to run out and students are working hard to get their butterflies done.  

Students say that carrying stories is one of the hardest projects they have had to complete but also one of the most fun. Precious Navarro said, “Painting was the most fun, and writing the story was definitely the hardest part.” Josselyn Sandoval explained, “The story was the hardest part because you can’t just write about anything, it has to be meaningful and connect to a topic that personally represents you.”  

Daniel Ruiz, Precious Navarro, and Joselyn Sandoval focus on minute but significant details in the creation of the actual butterfly and the accompanying story.

A lot of the students enjoyed working on this enterprise and most of them agree that there should be more opportunities to creatively express themselves. Others believe this artwork is a wonderful way to reflect and look back on past experiences. This project is described as creative, fun, difficult, and meaningful. The colors seen on each butterfly are based on a symbolism chart where every individual color has a certain meaning that ties into their story. 

Carrying Stories has reached so many audiences and the entire community is excited to see these butterflies complete. Since the projects are due to be completed by the end of next week, art hops and other showcases are quickly approaching. At these shows the artwork is put on display at community locations for people to view and learn about someone’s personal story. While these butterflies are not specifically meant to be sold, there are circumstances where someone wants to purchase a butterfly.  

Since Carrying Stories is a small significant part of someone’s personal story with a butterfly that best represents them, buyers usually look for a story that most touches their heart. Before winter break, Sabina Fernandez and her partner were at the Fresno Fair exhibit where they saw student Natalie Galicia's artwork.  

After reading Natalie’s story Fernandez’s partner began to cry because she connected to the story in such a personal way. Fernandez then emailed Ms. Santos about purchasing the artwork and after speaking with Natalie, she decided to sell the art for $200 where 100% of the money went to Natalie Galicia. Ms. Marina Santos said, “When the artwork, especially the story, resonates with our community, it reinforces the significance of this project, Carrying Stories.” 

Ms. Santos. Natalie Galicia, and her 2021 butterfly.

Carrying Stories Part One

On November 19, 2021., Ms. Santos had periods 1, 2, and 6 working the process of the Carrying Stories project.

by Jazzy Alvarado

Ms. Marina Santos is an English teacher at Fresno High School who started the Carrying Stories art and writing project. Carrying Stories is an art-based project that she started because she felt her students needed motivation since everything was virtual. Ms. Santos wanted a project where her students had the liberty to be creative while doing something meaningful. She designed Carrying Stories as a way for her students to be able to share their stories and be heard while creating beautiful art. “I wanted to create a project where students could use multiple modalities that was also hands-on,” she shared. 

Carrying Stories is a small significant part of someone’s personal story with a butterfly that best represents them. The idea behind the butterfly is to show how they used their struggles to transform themselves into a better and stronger person. This project is not only an insightful form of expression, but also a way for students to have fun with art. Each butterfly carries a story, the story itself represents the beauty of a person on the inside and the actual butterfly represents the beauty on the outside. With Covid-19 being an ongoing issue, Ms. Santos believed art was the perfect way to uplift students about the situation.  

Fresno High is stereotyped, and it is believed that the students here are unmotivated and unproductive. Ms. Santos created Carrying Stories to prove everyone wrong and show them that Fresno High is filled with excellent students. “I want them to know our students for active learners who are positive role models who have a story to share and that we are academic,” she explained. The overall goal for the project was for students to feel heard in a way that was creative and representative of their personal identity. She wanted to give her students the chance to show that they are more than what they seem. and that there is always a deeper meaning under the surface.  

Ms. Santos believes the Carrying Stories project took on a life of its own and that her students enjoy doing it. She says so far, the project has been running smoothly and she receives lots of positive feedback. She is deeply passionate about this project, and she hopes it will soon start to receive more recognition. “I want the community to say Fresno High is a great school and learning does happen here,” she declared. She wants to encourage and motivate more people to help beautify the community.  

Fresno High School's International Baccalaureate Programme held a community advisory meeting on October 21, 2021 to gather the feedback of community and neighbors as Carrying Stories continues to create interactive opportunities.

Back in October, the IB student/artwork was at the Mst Gallery for the October Arthop and then headed over to The Big Fresno Fair for display in the Junior exhibit.