The art department is once again participating in the 100 Neediest Cases competition hosted by the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. This competition judges artwork from high school or college students in Missouri or Illinois.The work by the students must also be original.

“It is one of the projects that allows the students to use their gifts,” art teacher Laurie Kohler said. “It’s really the illustrations that help the individual cases.”

Senior Darian Sandoz has been competing in the 100 Neediest Cases since sophomore year. A certain topic must be chosen to draw based on certain beliefs, or views as an individual person. Sandoz believes strongly in gay rights and African American rights, and has based his drawing from junior year and this year on those. His junior year drawing was of a hard working African American man. This year’s drawing is of a single African American women.

“If you can’t love yourself, how are you going to love others,” Sandoz said. “I like to do art on awareness and stuff like that. I like to be unapologetic, and art never lies, just be you.”