Despite Clark’s emphasis on science and technology, a few of its gifted students maintain a strong presence within the artistic community. Last week, Clark junior Vardui Grigoryan placed second in the Glendale division of the 2014 Bob Hope Airport Student Art Tower Banner Contest. As a reward, Grigoryan was honored with a recognition ceremony and a $200 art certificate March 3.

The annual contest, open to high school students from across the Burbank, Glendale and Pasadena school districts, invites artists to create their own banner based on a specific flight-related theme. This 7th year’s theme, “Skies of Freedom,” inspired Grigoryan to create her entry with the help of AP Studio Art teacher Nyrie Gharibian.

Grigoryan’s entry depicts stoic portraits of several famed aviators such as Charles Lindbergh and Amelia Earhart, along with a neatly juxtaposed Wright Flyer and commercial jet. To fully develop her entry, Grigoryan worked with Adobe Illustrator software. “You can’t do this just by hand,” Grigoryan said.

Even though her entry placed second in a pool of 358 entries across three school districts, Grigoryan said she thinks it could have been even better. “I regret not having time to do more,” Grigoryan said. “Still, I’m really proud of it. Clark students actually have a lot of opportunities to show off their art. I’m glad Ms. Gharibian helps us out with that.”

Grigoryan’s entry will be on display in Bob Hope Airport’s Terminal B beginning in June.