Chase County paints its way to top

    Art students from Chase County Schools (CCS) brought home first place in McCook Community College’s (MCC) annual high school paint-in and exhibition.
    For the paint-in category, each school is given a 4x8 piece of paper, the theme for that  year, directed to the various art supplies provided and are sent off to make a piece in only a couple of hours.
    The theme for this year was “Identity: Beneath the surface.” The competition was held in the Peter and Dolores Graff Events Center.
    Chelsea Zuege, the 9-12 art teacher at CCS, has taken a group of seniors to the competition for the last 10 years.
    “I’ve always made it a senior day. It’s a chance for them to do something that they don’t do everyday, and causes them to work as a team,” said Zuege.
    Zuege took a total of 15 student this year. Because there were so many, they were divided into three different groups.
    The group that won first place consisted of Abigail Almanza, Josie Peterson, Kaylee Meeske, Vianey Marquez and Bridgette Odens.
    There were of 26 different teams at the paint-in and exhibition competition with over 200 area high school students participating.
    The exhibition category is comprised of various art pieces that students have created throughout the school year.
    Sarah Allen, a senior at CCS, took second place in the drawing category with her piece titled “Beyond the Fox.”
    This year’s event was paid for by a one-time grant from the McCook Rotary Club and a matching $500 contribution from Rotary District 5630 and also from the McCook Arts Council.
    “The entry fee has never been a problem for our school, but I’m sure it helped and encouraged other schools to participate,” said Zuege.