Transforming Presidio with
Fine Arts
By Laurel Holman
“Becero” by Paola Flotte. 11th grade
“C ielo Lindo” - Vanessa Rodriguez, 10th grade
“ Jalapeno” by Tama C arrasco, 12th grade
“G iddy Up” by Joe Flores, 12th grade
“#769” by G abriela O livas, 12th grade
W
e are a small, Far West Texas
border town, and one of the
poorest school districts in
Texas, and yet, creativity abounds.
The population of Presidio is a little
over 5,000 and within a stone’s throw
of Mexico. The closest Walmart, mall,
or movie theater is four hours away.
Not that it is a bad thing! However, in
this little, dusty, West Texas town, the
students excel in the fine arts. We
4
have an excellent band, drama, mari-
achi, folklorico and fine arts programs
in our district.
The Presidio Fine Arts Festival
started about 10 years ago to showcase
these amazing students, their creativi-
ty, and their incredible talent through
a Festival. Several buildings in down-
town Presidio are empty, and we
thought they would be an awesome
place to put the artwork of all the stu-
Cenizo
First Quarter 2018
dents in the district and include former
students and local artists as well.
During the festival, we block off the
main streets and set up a stage that
runs nonstop from 12 p.m. until 2 a.m.
with dance groups and bands—all
from the area. This is an event that the
whole town, and now out-of-towners,
come out to enjoy! Every year this
party grows. It’s a beautiful celebration
of life, culture, and talent that is found
in our unique area of Texas. The next
Presidio Fine Arts Festival will be held
on April 5–7, 2018. Everyone is wel-
come to come!
Thanks to the growth of social
media, I found a new way to promote
the success of our students and to share
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