A dozen Los Altos High School students, advised by their art teacher Christine An, tamed a variety of the colorful fiberglass bears populating the downtown area for the Los Altos Bears fundraiser.
The Town Crierâs new mascot bear greets the public from the paperâs balcony on Main Street. Student artists Samantha Zhang, Jacqueline Hu and Yelena Tao collaborated with one another and Town Crier staff to create a bear costumed as a traditional European town crier, complete with bell and tri-cornered hat.
The trio of artists faced challenges, such as being consistent in painting the bearâs fur and clothing. While they worked in the Town Crierâs lobby, its door open to the sidewalk, curious passersby expressed their appreciation to the artists, who said they had great fun working as a team.
One of Los Altos High Schoolâs newest student groups, the Coral Reef Conservancy Project (CRCP), has set some lofty goals, including trying to help pass H.R.241, a federal bill that would provide monetary incentives for countries to fund nature conservation.
âOriginally, it was all just science-based, but we brought the government point of view into the club,â said CRCP co-president Simran Gupta, a junior. âWeâre trying to get endorsements from other organizations and support from legislators.â
The idea for the club came from junior Medha Rajagopalan, who said she wanted to start a student organization to help the environment. After reaching out to Gupta, who has experience in government work, the two put the idea into action.