From a Creative Summer to One Colorful School Year

This summer was such a meaningful one for me and for REB Creative Studio. We celebrated our fifth year of summer art camp, and I still cannot believe I get to say that. What began as a small idea has continued to grow into something that means so much to me, and every summer reminds me why I started.

This year, we welcomed young artists in both Laredo and San Antonio. Being able to create in the city where I grew up and in the city I now call home makes each summer feel especially personal. Every group brought its own energy, personalities, ideas, and wonderfully creative messes.

Throughout camp, we traveled around the world through art, created dinosaurs and fossil digs, experimented with printmaking, painted, sculpted, worked with plaster, tie-dyed shirts, and tried so many different techniques. Some projects went exactly as planned, while others took unexpected turns. Honestly, those unexpected moments are often my favorite because they give the children permission to make their artwork completely their own.

One of the best parts of camp is watching a young artist begin a project feeling unsure and then slowly become excited as their idea comes to life. I love hearing them say, “I have an idea,” or watching them proudly carry their artwork home at the end of the week. Those moments may seem small, but they are the reason I continue doing this work.

I am also incredibly thankful for the people who helped make camp possible this year. In Laredo, my sister was right there with me, helping teach, prepare materials, keep everything moving, and encourage our young artists. In San Antonio, Mr. Reyes joined me as a co-teacher and brought so much creativity, patience, and passion for the arts to our camp.

Running an art camp takes so much more than preparing a few cute projects. There are supplies to purchase, examples to create, spaces to prepare, shirts to tie-dye, snacks to organize, parent messages to send, and plenty of cleaning at the end of every day. Having my sister and Mr. Reyes beside me during different parts of the summer made those long, busy days much more meaningful. I am always in awe of their dedication and the care they show our campers. REB Art Camp would not have been the same without either of them.

Of course, Darth Vader also did his part as our unofficial REB Creative Studio assistant. Whether he was supervising from a comfortable spot, greeting campers, or simply reminding everyone to take a break and give him attention, he remained a very important member of the team.

More than anything, I am thankful for every family who trusted us with their children this summer. I know families have many choices when deciding how their children will spend their time, and I never take it lightly when they choose REB Creative Studio. Thank you for allowing us to create with your children, get messy with them, encourage their ideas, and become a small part of their summer memories.

After two busy and beautiful months of planning, traveling, teaching, creating, and cleaning, I went almost immediately into another major chapter: the beginning of a brand-new school year in a brand-new building.

This year feels different in many ways. We moved into our new campus, which took a lot of sweat, teamwork, patience, and help from my family and coworkers. Moving an art room is no small task. Art teachers somehow collect everything because almost anything can become an art material. Every box seemed to contain paint, paper, yarn, clay tools, recycled materials, or something I had saved because I knew we would eventually use it.

My room is still not completely finished, and I am learning to be okay with that. There are still supplies that need homes, areas I want to decorate, systems I want to improve, and ideas I have not had time to bring to life yet. At first, I felt pressure to have everything perfect before students arrived. But the truth is, a creative space does not have to be perfectly organized or beautifully decorated before meaningful learning can begin.

The heart of an art room is not the decorations on the walls. It is the students who walk through the door, the ideas they bring with them, and the feeling they have when they know they are safe to try.

Along with moving into a new classroom, I am also stepping into three different roles this year. I will be teaching Art, providing Gifted and Talented services, and teaching Career and Technical Education. Writing that out still feels a little overwhelming, but it also makes me excited for everything this year could become.

Art will always be at the center of who I am as an educator. I love introducing students to new materials, artists, cultures, and ways of creating. I want my students to understand that art is not about making everything look perfect. It is about experimenting, solving problems, expressing yourself, and learning to see the world in different ways.

Through GT services, I will have another opportunity to challenge students’ thinking and encourage their curiosity. We will work on creative projects that involve research, collaboration, problem-solving, and deeper exploration. I want students to feel comfortable asking big questions, taking intellectual risks, and discovering that there can be more than one way to approach a challenge.

CTE is a new addition to my responsibilities, and I am looking forward to helping students connect creativity with communication, media, technology, and future careers. Creativity is not limited to the art room. It is part of designing, planning, storytelling, problem-solving, and sharing ideas with others. I hope students begin to recognize how many possibilities are available to them.

Balancing three roles will not always be easy. There will be schedule changes, school events, performances, projects, deadlines, and days when I feel like I am being pulled in several directions at once. I know there will be moments when I have to adjust my plans, ask for help, and remind myself that I cannot do everything perfectly.

But even while wearing three different hats, my purpose remains the same.

I want students to feel seen. I want them to know their ideas matter. I want to give them a space where they can experiment, make mistakes, laugh, collaborate, and surprise themselves with what they are capable of creating. Whether they are painting in the art room, solving a challenge during GT, or designing something for CTE, I want them to leave feeling more confident than when they entered.

When I think about this summer and the beginning of the school year, I feel tired, excited, nervous, proud, and incredibly grateful all at once. There has been so much change, and there is still a great deal to figure out. But I am learning that growth often happens while everything still feels unfinished.

REB Creative Studio is still growing. My new classroom is still coming together. I am still learning how to balance my three roles. And that is okay. Being a work in progress does not mean we are behind. It means we are still creating.

From celebrating five years of summer camp to beginning this colorful new school year, I am thankful for every student, family member, coworker, and friend who continues to support me. I would not be able to do this work without the people who encourage my ideas, help carry boxes, share kind words, trust me with their children, and remind me why this work matters.

Here’s to another season of making art, trying new things, embracing the mess, and growing together. My classroom may still be a work in progress, and I may still be learning how to wear all three hats, but I cannot wait to see what we create this year.