Raquel Spiegel teaches visual arts at Discovery Middle School. (CONTRIBUTED)

MADISON – Three art students at Discovery Middle School were honored for their designs during a Redstone Arsenal ceremony.

Sabrina Yee was the first-place winner in the Hispanic Heritage Month Art Contest, which coincided with Hispanic Heritage Month in October. Also from Discovery, Shiyeon Ku earned second place, and Meredith Martin ranked as the third-place winner.

Raquel Spiegel teaches visual arts at Discovery with classes in sculpture and mixed media; she also sponsors the Art Club. Rosie’s International Services Inc. sponsored the contest.

A celebration was held in the Sparkman Center on Redstone Arsenal on Sept. 30 to recognize the contest winners. Soldiers, school principals, art instructors and family members of the winning students were invited to attend. The event included a variety of cultural displays, food tastings and musical performances.

Master Sgt. Edward L. Gaston with the U.S. Army thanked Spiegel and her students for their participation.

“The portraits we received (in the contest) have further proven that children are putting forth efforts to explore innovative opportunities to express their place within our society,” Gaston said. “Through competitions, we have observed competitiveness to be a beneficial method to encourage uniqueness and talents.”

“We strive to promote diversity and inclusion within the community and one way we achieve this goal is through Ethnic Observance Programs,” Gaston said.

Spiegel said she was honored to work with “such awesome young artists. My students have been recognized in numerous competitions at district, state and national levels.”

Rosie’s International Services Inc. is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization. Rosie’s promotes other events, like the Black History Enrichment and Enlightenment Festival, to raise awareness and understanding for local youth to diverse cultures, represented by many residents in the community.

For more information about Rosie’s International, visit rosiesinternationalservicesdiverse.com.