By Justin Andress, The Mountain Times
Each year, Mt. Hood Community College (MHCC) takes time to feature the work of aspiring high school artists across the area. In 2025, the MHCC’s Regional High School Art Exhibit offered nine potential awards to contributing artists. Students at Sandy High School won the lion’s share of the prizes, bringing home four of the possible nine awards.
Alyssa “Ace” Ortiz won first place in the category of Emergence of a Personal Vision. Eliya Beeson was right behind her, taking home second prize in the same category. Josie Maye Nail won second prize in the Technical Skill category. Jordan Gabel won second prize in Originality.
It is impressive that any single high school student gets recognition at this level. That one school took home nearly half the prizes on offer is a testament to the students’ passion and their teachers’ capability.
On the win, Alyssa Ortiz told the school district that the award was “amazing and very encouraging. I found it liberating to be recognized for something that I’m passionate about and hope to continue to share and represent in art.”
Congratulations to these imaginative and enterprising students for their recent success! These burgeoning artists deserve a round of applause and continued support for their work.