When junior Madeline Rothenberg arrived at the Los Gatos and Saratoga High School Art Show on May 17 with her mom, she was surprised by the congratulations people gave her. She had arrived a little bit late and had missed the awards ceremony. Soon enough, however, she found out that she had won first place in the ceramics division of the art show.

“I was really surprised, because I didn’t even know that I was a competitor,” Rothenberg said. She won the award for a blue and rainbow-colored sculpture.

The Los Gatos and Saratoga High School Art Show took place from May 7-29, showcasing the combined works of students from both schools. It was held at the Los Gatos Museum. On May 14, an awards ceremony gave prizes to the students for their work. Divisions included painting, drawing, photography, ceramics and sculpture. This was the first time the event had occurred in nine years.

Participants from Saratoga High came from art classes, including Art 1 and 2, advanced art, digital photography, and ceramics.

“I was very happy [when I won],” said senior Cynlie Wang, who also won first prize, in the category of drawing. The second place winner was Carissa Lee from Los Gatos High, and the third prize went to Yvette Young, from Saratoga High. In photography, senior Ekaterina Alexandrova won first prize and Los Gatos High student Lucy Dill placed first in painting.

The first prize in the sculpture category was awarded to the Saratoga and Los Gatos Collaboration Project, a piece created by six Saratoga students and 13 Los Gatos students who worked in conjunction to construct the sculpture. According to sophomore Emi Ichikawa, who worked on the project, the sculpture is a collage of different pieces of clay, color, and glaze. ITwill be a permanent art fixture in the Los Gatos Museum.

“It was fun working on the project,” said sophomore Nikki Fukuda, who worked on the project as well. “We stayed in our bubble and they stayed in theirs, though.”

Thanks to the success of the event, teachers plan to continue the event for many years to come.

“We’re hoping this is an ongoing thing now,” said art teacher Leah Aguayo. “We are hoping that we can do it next year.”