October 21, 2026 - Comal ISD hosted the first of four student art shows of the 2026-2027 school year on Tuesday, Oct. 13, at its Support Services building in New Braunfels. Each show features more than 100 pieces of art created by students from various campuses.
The fall show highlighted work from eight campuses in the Pieper High School feeder pattern as well as Memorial Early College High School including Indian Springs Elementary, Kinder Ranch Elementary, Specht Elementary, Timberwood Park Elementary, Bulverde Middle, Pieper Ranch Middle and PHS.
The invitation-only art-gallery-style show featured artwork created by students in kinder through 12th grades, selected by campus art teachers. Each artist was given a medal as the teachers explained the different pieces. Parents and family members were on hand to take photos and view the work.
For the third year, a highlight of the show was the announcement of the Superintendent’s Excellence Award for Art, which is hand selected by Superintendent Dr. John E. Chapman III.
“This prestigious award recognizes outstanding talent and creativity,” said Gary Cooper, Comal ISD’s director of fine arts.
The artists to receive the year’s first Superintendent’s Excellence Award for Art are listed here.
- Paulina Pla, 5th grade, Kinder Ranch Elementary, for “Harvest Time”
- Hadley Schrecongost, 7th grade, Pieper Ranch Middle School, for “Perched in Paradise”
- Bethani Webb, 11th grade, Memorial Early College High School, for “Disney Bunch Value/Balance”
Schrecongost was proud to have received the Superintendent’s award.
“I was really surprised,” Schrecongost says. “There were so many talented students at the show, and I thought all of their artwork looked amazing. It feels great to know that people appreciate my art, especially after working so hard on it.”
Her piece, “Perched in Paradise,” featuring a colorful parakeet, was created with pencil and markers. It was a class assignment that challenged students to make an animal completely from dots copying the pointillism art style. The dots could be black and white or colors.
“I did pointillism by blending a bunch of different colored dots together,” she explains. “It took me about a week of class time and a little bit of tutoring to finish it, mostly because of how many dots I had to put into it.”
The show featured sketches, watercolor, oil pastels, sculptures and more, and teachers explained what students are learning in their art classes.
Elementary art teachers showcased student work following styles they were studying including folk, textiles and abstract art.
Pieper High School sophomore Bella Arosi is enrolled in both AP art and 2D studio with hopes to learn more about animation and character drawing. His detailed graphite piece was a portrait of Adam Jones, guitarist from the band Tool, and was featured at the art show.
“Art helps take my mind off of everything,” Arosi says, “and it is a way to express how you feel on paper.”
The district, which has been named a District of Distinction by the Texas Art Education Association (TAEA) for eight consecutive years, plans to host three additional art shows this school year in January, March and May.
List of students featured in the first art show of 2026-2027.
Elementary Campuses
Indian Springs Elementary School. Art teacher Amy Groesbeck. Catie Adams, 5; Caden Allen, 5; Aurora Bright, 5; Eva Farnington, 3; Audrey Goodrich, 4; Kendall Torres, K; Miranda Trejo, 3; Avery Warford, 5; Leiah Wesley, 3; and Winter Wyatt, 4.
Kinder Ranch Elementary School. Art teacher Juanita Gatrelle. Mariana Cabrera, 3; Eve Fagan, 5; Daniela Jaramillo, 4; Avery Johnson, 1; Halle Keel, 3; Chloe Moon, 1; Elinor Neumann, 5; Paulina Pla, 5; Maxwell Reyna, 2; and Olivia Wainscott, 4.
Specht Elementary School. Art teacher Anna Wood. Lyric Barker, 1; Jayce Clough, 5; Josslyn Dickens, 3; Madeline Haynes, 5; Frankie Kingslayer, 1; Emily Magdaleno, 3; Mikaela Miranda Vazquez, 4; Layla Render, 4; Emma Serrette, 2; and Sadie Wolf, 2.
Timberwood Park Elementary School. Art teacher Jill Corona. Ellie Barrientez, 4; Avery Belz, K; Rhett Dahlberg, 3; Keira Gonzales, 3; Serenity Ibrahim, 2; Cooper Marcom, 5; Reed Morgan, 4; Coryn Sondergaard, 5; Jasper Spenn, 1; and Rose Vazquez, 1.
Middle Schools
Bulverde Middle School. Art teachers: Casi Corbin, Casey Prowell and Staci Teague. Rocio Aguilar, 8; Adalynn Clever, 6; Brandon Doyle, 8; Payton Drake, 6; Brandon Friedman, 8; Lincoln Gill, 6; Nathan Graybill, 8; Juan Hernandez, 7; Avery Juarez, 7; Finn Leal, 6; Greyson Lingenfelter, 8; Timothy Pullen, 8; and Victory Voss, 7.
Pieper Middle School. Art teachers: Nikki Bettis, Edyta Ellison and Stacie Lewis. Nolan Bryner, 8; Paula Casarrubias, 8; Olivia Franco, 7; Isla Gutierrez, 6; Holly Hill, 7; Emma Kendrick, 7; Mila Lopez, 8; Sydney Rees, 8; Hadley Schrecongost, 7; and Ashley Visco, 7.
High Schools
Memorial Early High School. Art teachers: Ashley Buehler and Ty Muennink. Alayna Bailey-Smith, 9; Dane Bradley, 9; Cash Coates, 9; Nadine Cruz, 12; Isabella Enriquez, 9; Trinity Gil, 9; Quinn Hernandez, 9; Carissa House, 12; Kei Ikehata, 12; Michael Jordan, 9; Sebastian Krenceski, 9; Robin Machado, 12; Izabella Macias, 12; Makenzie McCauley, 9; Julia Miranda, 12; Genevieve Opoku-Amoabeng, 12; Shelby Pampel, 11; Layla Rejalde, 9; Alicia Saldiva, 9; Willow Spencer, 12; Matteo Verona, 9; and Bethani Webb, 11.
Pieper High School. Art teachers: Cynthia Onofre and Jennifer Snellings. Bella Arosi, 10; Constanza Bermea, 9; Noah Brown, 11; William Cochran, 11; Jordan Fischer, 11; Camryn Flores, 11; Charlotte F., 9; Nicholas Gonzalez, 11; Morgan Griffith, 9; Bentley Hinson, 11; Riley Jumper, 12; Kason Lopez, 10; Isaac Luera, 9; Hayley Moreno, 10; Tam Nguyen, 10; Zoe Olfers, 11; Kirra Poist, 11; Tegan Rios, 11; Hosea Toalson, 11; and Ryann Zatopek, 10.
Photo descriptions
-Bella Arosi, a 10th-grade student at Pieper High School, showed off his graphite art piece.
-Hadley Schrecongost, a seventh-grade student at Pieper Ranch Middle School, received the middle school Superintendent’s Excellence Award for Art during the Comal ISD Fall Art Show on Oct. 13.
-Artwork by Kinder Ranch Elementary student Paulina Pla, titled “Harvest Time” earned the Superintendent’s Excellence Award of Art after the Comal ISD Fall Art Show on Oct. 13.
-Artwork by Pieper Ranch Middle School student Hadley Schrecongost, titled “Perched in Paradise” earned the Superintendent’s Excellence Award of Art after the Comal ISD Fall Art Show on Oct. 13.
-Artwork by Memorial Early College High School student Bethani Webb, titled “Disney Bunch Value/Balance” earned the Superintendent’s Excellence Award of Art after the Comal ISD Fall Art Show on Oct. 13.
View all the photos from the show at Comal ISD Fall Art Show photo album.