With the Sunol Glen School’s 100th birthday celebration coming up next April, art teacher Heather Cass wanted to do something special to commemorate such a significant milestone in the small school’s long history.
“Our school definitely takes pride … of being there in Sunol and being such an integral part of Sunol,” Cass said.
That’s why when she saw students’ artwork from decades ago scattered around the inside of the school, she knew the perfect project for her elective class made up of sixth, seventh and eighth graders.
“I asked them to draw the front of the school as kind of a way to honor our 100th year,” Cass said.
A second-year art teacher, Cass recently got her teaching credential and decided to work at Sunol because she had previously served there as a substitute teacher and she wanted to give back to the school that gave her so much.
So when she saw art pieces from students over 10 years ago, she thought her elective students could put their one-point perspective art lesson to use by drawing the front of the school. She said she told her kids to have fun with it and that they could incorporate the centennial aspect in any way they wanted to, which really made each piece unique.
After the students finished their drawings, Cass had everyone who works in Sunol unanimously vote on their top three favorites based on just the art and not names — students also voted on best and most improved based on past student feedback.
In the end, the three pieces with the most votes were from eighth grade students: Aiyana Colombage, Angad Mann and Cassian Cox Solozano.
Cass said she was already excited about the school’s centennial and to be able to give her students the chance to be a part of the school’s history meant a lot to her.
Sunol Superintendent-Principal Shay Galletti said she also shared the same sentiment.
“We are very much looking forward to the school’s 100-year birthday and planning a community-wide celebration on April 26, 2025,” Galletti said. “The students’ artwork reflects each student’s connection to the school and its history. Being part of the school’s centennial celebration is meaningful for everyone — it’s a chance to honor 100 years of tradition while looking ahead to the future.”
Cass said apart from displaying the pieces of art at the school, she plans on doing additional things with their drawings but didn’t want to give away too much just yet until she finalizes those next steps.
“We plan to use this art for many upcoming events as well as fundraising efforts in 2025,” Cass said.
She also said that she didn’t want the main takeaway from this art activity to be the winners of the competition. Even though those who won are gifted artists who deserve the recognition, Cass said art is about improving and growing.
She said it is important to showcase the work of all students and that at the end of the day, she just wanted her kids to recognize how great their school is in the context of its 100th birthday.
“All kids should be proud of their school and feel joy and be excited about what they create,” Cass said. “Not all art is the same.”
Director Sanwong faces challenge from committee chair Henry for East Bay Parks Ward 5September 13, 2026 8:41 pm
