Vista Del Sol Environmental Science Academy students learned about wildlife conservation and the impact of their actions on the environment while using their creativity to bring an art exhibit featuring desert bighorn sheep to life.
This summer, seven students, from kindergarten to fifth grade, participated in the collaborative art installation at La Nube STEAM Discovery Center, celebrating the return of the species to the Franklin Mountains in December.
The students worked alongside their peers from Parkland High School and Del Valle High School to create the exhibit titled "Ram-arkable Resilience: Art Meets Conservation." The exhibit, which ran from September to October, illustrated El Paso's iconic mountain range and provided a glimpse of what it might be like to spot a desert bighorn sheep roaming the slopes.
“When we first started the project, we learned about the bighorn sheep and the desert plants,” said Iker Flores, a fifth-grader at Vista Del Sol Environmental Science Academy. “I was pretty excited to do the sculpture since I loved doing sculptures and being able to express my creativity. I really wanted to do it.”
The project was a collaborative effort involving the Green Hope Project, La Nube, Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD), and Socorro and Ysleta independent school districts.
The art installation was designed to raise awareness about trash, recycling, and the significant impact humans have on the local environment, as well as highlight ways to support wildlife conservation.
The installation commemorated the TPWD’s initiative to relocate desert bighorn sheep from the Elephant Mountain Wildlife Management Area to Franklin Mountains State Park. In December, 76 bighorn sheep were released into the Franklin Mountains after they had become extinct due to disease and hunting.
Candace Printz, SISD Fine Arts assistant director and president of the Green Hope Project, said students not only learned a valuable lesson about preserving the environment, but they also taught the public about the importance of environmental stewardship.
“A really important thing is that kids can learn that the assignments and lessons you have can have real world implications,” Printz said. “So, them doing something that is so meaningful can have an impact because what they made educated the public. Elementary kids made something that educated adults about what was happening. So now there's a bigger buy in to help this wildlife rebound.”
The art installation was made entirely from recycled materials, including cardboard boxes, water bottles and newspapers. Some of the items were donated by the families of the academy's students.
After researching the Franklin Mountains ecosystem, the academy's students transformed the materials to create the park’s Chihuahuan Desert plants, such as the ocotillo and agave.
Students cut and painted agave leaves from cardboard and used recycled wire for the pole-like stems of the ocotillo.
“It's pretty cool to see (our project) at La Nube because a lot of people go to La Nube,” said fourth-grader Azalea Melendez-Ortega about having their artwork showcased at the museum. “But when they walk in, you can see like our projects of the bighorn sheep coming back. It's pretty cool to see it.”
Iker Flores said he enjoyed collaborating with students from the academy and the high schools on the exhibit.
“It was pretty fun because some of the kids were my friends,” Flores said. “And I like to cooperate with other kids and help them if they're struggling with something, especially the younger ones.”
Kristian Torres, Vista Del Sol’s environmental science coordinator, said the art installation was an excellent opportunity to promote the school’s mission of environmental stewardship and the available career pathways in environmental science.
The academy offers practical lessons and activities in environmental science, alongside the standard core curriculum.
“It talks a lot about our academy and the noise we're making in regard to environmental education.” Torres said. “I think we take pride in that and that's our mission to talk about our purpose as an academy here in the community and how we can provide assistance and support and pretty much educate our community members about environmental awareness.”
Melendez-Ortega said that her mom planned to take her to the Franklin Mountains during winter break to see if they could catch a glimpse of the bighorn sheep through their binoculars.
“It's pretty fun to see them coming back,” Melendez-Ortega said.