Mario Vazquez’s class is a work of art.
And his art students at Hialeah Miami Lakes High School create some the best art designs through drawings, paintings, photography, pastels and digital technology that have won school contests throughout Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach counties.
Vazquez said the Advanced Placement class is so amazing that 230 students are enrolled in his art class, doubling the number of students from last year.
“By popular demand,” Vazquez quipped.
Vazquez said most of his students start off as not artistically talented but develop their skills and use art to express themselves and help beautify the schools with murals depicting their school spirit, diverse cultures, what education means to them and the history of art.
“You see some of their best artwork outside contributing to the murals," said Vazquez, who has been teaching art at the school for 12 years. "The students feel part of the school by having a paint brush in their hands. It increases school pride because everyone feels like they are part of the family.”
The students do art through pencil drawings, paintings, photography, and digital art, which includes photoshop and dropbox.
“Photography with technology is very popular,” Vazquez said. “The students really enjoy the program.”
The Advanced Placement art program, which has an 80 percent passing rate, helps students prepare for college and art school.
Vazquez said his students can earn three college credits.
He said his students create their own art portfolio to submit to colleges and art schools of their choice.
Some of the students entered their art work in popular art and drawing contests and won some of them, including Carina Zatarian, who was the 2014 grand prize winner of the Orange Bowl Creative Art Contest in the tri-county competition.
Araceli Correa said Vazquez’s art class allows her to focus on a certain topic and create art to reflect the issue.
“Whatever topic he comes up with, you put your mind to it and create what’s on your mind,” she said.
Julianne Pascual said her best art creation so far was a self image portrait.
“It made me feel so confident,” she said.
Hialeah Miami Lakes High assistant principal Cynthia Prado said Vazquez makes the school’s art program “very” successful.
“If we could clone Mr. Vazquez, we would,” she said.