YES Prep Public Schools
YES Prep Public Schools

Since 2016, YES Prep has hosted the Annual Holiday Card Contest where art students from all of our 19 secondary schools are invited to participate. Of the art pieces created, the YES Prep art teachers select the top entries for their school. This year, 31 entries were submitted for consideration. The winning entry becomes YES Prep Public Schools’ official holiday card, which is mailed out to YES Prep friends and supporters during the holiday season.

This year’s 2020 Holiday Card Contest winner is Christian Avila, ninth-grader from YES Prep Southeast Secondary.  

We have included the top 12 holiday cards below, listed in alphabetical order. 


dovesholidaycard2020

Student: Christian Avila  

Grade: 9 

School: YES Prep Southeast Secondary 

Art teacher: Jennifer Crancer  

Artwork name: Winter Love 

About the piece: My piece represents the peace and love that should be passed around this time of the year, which is the end of the year in many calendars. The doves in the artwork emphasize the peace that everybody can have within communities and cultures. The heart symbolizes the love that every person should share no matter their religion, race, ideals, level of education, gender, age, or social status. I chose to use a spread of cool colors, like green and blue, to make the viewers feel a sense of calm and pink, a light warm color, adds a bit of excitement to the calmness of the artwork. 

What does YES Prep mean to you? YES Prep to me means, opportunities, somewhere where leaders are born, a place where students can be themselves, and a place where students can overachieve and prove many they could lead and change our world for the better.  

Christian’s artwork was selected by YES Prep Public Schools’ as the 2020 holiday card. 

Check out our student spotlight on Christian Avila by clicking here


AshleyDavila_10thGrade_Southeast_Crancer

Student: Ashley Davila 

Grade: 10 

School: YES Prep Southeast Secondary 

Art teacher: Jennifer Crancer  

Artwork name: Season Openings 

Inspiration behind art: My inspiration is that art is really cool to me. The colors inspire me so much because it makes the piece of art bloom out. I really enjoy art. 

What does YES Prep mean to you? YES Prep means family and it is engaging. I always learn new and different things every day. 


jasmine escovar - snowman -holiday card 2020

Student: Jasmine Escovar  

School: YES Prep Southwest  

Grade: 10 grade  

Art teacher: Heather Sportsman  

Artwork name: Winter Night  

Inspiration behind art: The thing that inspired me to draw this was my love for winter. I am fascinated by winter because I find it to be a calming season. I imagined a nice, quiet peaceful winter night. 

Jasmine’s artwork was selected by Alta Resources as their 2020 holiday card. 

 


AshleyGonzalez_12thGrade_Southeast_Crancer

Student: Ashley Gonzalez 

Grade: 12 

School: YES Prep Southeast Secondary 

Art teacher: Jennifer Crancer  

Artwork name: My Snow Globe 

Inspiration behind art: The inspiration behind my art was that it resembled a memory of my family being together when I was younger. I chose a snow globe because it was my favorite item during the winter holidays, and I tried to remember how it looked like since I no longer have it. 

What does YES Prep mean to you? YES Prep has helped me and my family by helping me think about my future. Without YES I would have struggled with my future plans and my career goals. I feel like YES Prep has impacted me so much in education and being able to have, for instance, junior and senior seminars to help me get into college. I am very grateful for the benefits I have received at YES. 


KimberlyHerrera-9th-Northline-holiday card

Student: Kimberly Herrera 

Grade: 9 

School: YES Prep Northline 

Art teacher: Michael Healey 

Artwork name: Sleepy, Snowy Day 

Inspiration behind art: I saw my cat sleeping peacefully by the window and just imagined a nice snowy scenery in the background. 

What does YES Prep mean to you? YES Prep means opportunity to me because I learn but also do social activities. 


BrendaPineda_10thGrade_Southeast_Crancer_holiday_card_2020

Student: Brenda Pineda 

Grade: 10 

School: YES Prep Southeast Secondary 

Art teacher: Jennifer Crancer  

Artwork name: Winter Nature 

Inspiration behind art: A Bob Ross art tutorial and gingerbread houses. 

What does YES Prep mean to you? YES Prep is community and friends. YES Prep encourages us to give our most academically.  


FabiolaSalazar_10thGrade_Southeast_Crancer_holiday_card_2020

Student: Fabiola Salazar  

Grade: 10  

School: YES Prep Southeast Secondary 

Art teacher: Jennifer Crancer  

Artwork name: Holiday Love 

Inspiration behind art: I wanted to draw something simple that could celebrate any type of holiday. 

Fabiola’s artwork was selected by Denham Capital Management LP as their 2020 holiday card. 


VictorTorres_GU8_Holiday_Card_2020

Student: Victor Torres 

Grade: 8 

School: YES Prep Gulfton 

Art teacher: Lanese Giles 

Artwork name: Winter Night 

Inspiration behind art: I thought of beautiful winter landscapes. 

What does YES Prep mean to you? YES Prep has lots of meaning to me but the best part of being with YES Prep is that we all are a community, and we all have each other's backs. 


EdithVargas-9th-Northline-Healey_2020_Holiday_Card

Student: Edith Vargas 

Grade: 9 

School: YES Prep Northline 

Art teacher: Michael Healey  

Artwork name: ICP Love  

Inspiration behind art: My love for penguins. 

What does YES Prep mean to you? YES Prep means to become a better image of me and to do more than what I am capable of. 


YarissaYerena-9th-Northline-Healey_2020_Holiday_Card

Student: Yarissa Yerena 

Grade: 9 

School: YES Prep Northline 

Art teacher: Michael Healey  

Artwork name: Holidays deer to my heart 

Inspiration behind art: My inspiration came from the vacation home my family has. We usually go during the holidays but that has been difficult due to COVID. When we are there, the deer come out at night and early in the morning which gave me inspiration for this drawing. 

What does YES Prep mean to you? YES Prep to me means community and the type of education that goes beyond what you learn in the classroom. 


KayenatYousofi_GU10_2020_Holiday_Card

Student: Kayenat Yousofi 

Grade: 10 

School: YES Prep Gulfton 

Art teacher: Lanese Giles 

Artwork name: Snowman Smiling  

Inspiration behind art: I was inspired by the times in my past when I built snowmen in Afghanistan.  

What does YES Prep mean to you? When I think of YES Prep, I think of peace. When I lived in Afghanistan, sometimes I didn’t feel safe. YES Prep Gulfton, to me, represents peace.  


MalikaYousofi_GU10_2020_Holiday_Card

Student: Malika Yousofi 

Grade: 10 

School: YES Prep Gulfton 

Art teacher: Lanese Giles 

Artwork name: Santa’s Ride 

Inspiration behind art: I was inspired by my memories of building my first snowman as a child in Afghanistan.  

What does YES Prep mean to you? YES Prep means “family” to me. I see everyone working together like a family.  


Art submissions for our annual Holiday Card Contest usually begins in early October and are coordinated through YES Prep’s secondary schools’ art teachers. Check out our past holiday card winners: YES Prep Southeast’s Daniella Diaz (2019) and YES Prep Gulfton’s Mariel Almazan (2018) who was just named as one of QuestBridge’s 2020 recipients


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