A new mural celebrating the Santa Cruz River has been unveiled at the Tubac Community Center. The project was created by Rio Rico High School students under the guidance of art teacher Miquel Grijalva over a period of ten weeks.
The mural was officially presented to the public on December 18 during an event titled “Imagine the Possibilities.” At the event, students discussed their inspirations and shared what their contributions to the mural meant to them. Live music accompanied the celebration.
According to county officials, this collaboration between Rio Rico High School and the Tubac Community Center Foundation gives student artists a chance to have their work displayed in a public space for community members to enjoy. The student artists featured in this project are Georgina Uriarte Plata, Emely Ramirez, and Micaias Grijalva.
Community members are invited to visit the Tubac Community Center to view the new mural. More information is available at https://tubaccommunitycenter.org/.
This display of student artwork comes as local schools continue working to improve academic outcomes. In Santa Cruz County, only 18% of high schoolers passed the mathematics section of the 2023-24 ACT exam (https://www.azed.gov/), while just 23.6% of third through eighth grade students passed math on last year’s AASA assessment (https://www.azed.gov/). English language arts scores also remain low, with only 28% of high schoolers passing English on recent assessments.
“Imagine the Possibilities” highlighted both artistic achievement and ongoing efforts by local educators and organizations to support youth development in Santa Cruz County.
