Whether your mask has a sports team or your favorite band, it has the possibility to tell a story and spark conversation. People say the eyes are the windows to the soul. Masks bring out the eyes and can connect people at first glance.

David Bearden, a Coppell High School art teacher, was inspired by the coronavirus pandemic and hosted a mask competition where students were able to submit any design to be on a mask. CHS freshman Amolika Kondapalli and CHS senior Roshni Patel won the mask contest.

“I wanted it to be student made and student-run,” Bearden said. “As an art teacher, I’m always looking to do contests that bring art and the student body together. I did this a couple of years ago with stickers to raise money for Hurricane Harvey and people were receptive to it. 

Votes were collected through an online form showcasing each submission. The winning designs will be printed on masks and sold for $5 at CHS.

“I saw a lot of people get creative with the competition and incorporate their personal style,” Patel said. “I wouldn’t want to wear [an] over the top mask, so I created a design that was more simplistic and something I would want to wear.” 

Due to the coronavirus, this is an opportunity for students to express themselves without guidelines or rules to follow.

“I bought black cotton masks and within a week I wanted to put designs on them,” Bearden said. “There is a natural instinct for most people to put designs and decorate things.”

Bearden has brought an activity that reinforces the importance of wearing a mask to the creative community as CHS. Even students not taking art were welcome to participate, giving the student body 24 designs to choose from.

“It’s not every day that we have the opportunity to enter a contest,”  CHS junior participant Tulsi Patel said. “It feels good to have a creative outlet because it’s a break from school to just be free and express myself.”

All proceeds go directly back into the community. Teaming up with CHS Principal Laura Springer, Bearden will buy gift cards for Coppell families who have fallen on tough times, some due to the coronavirus and some not, without exposing confidentiality.

“Masks with designs will encourage people to be willing to wear them because, like clothing, a mask can reflect and represent someone’s style and personality,” Tulsi Patel said.

The coronavirus has increasingly affected the economy and families in Coppell through jobs. Though this project may seem small, any money they raise will benefit Coppell greatly because every cent makes a difference.

“When you add the element of competition it sparks people’s interest,” Bearden said. “There are all kinds of groups on campus that compete, so I hoped to involve students who don’t have that competitive experience.”

The selling process created a cycle: students design the masks, CHS staff and students can purchase them and the money is put back in the community.  

“Whoever wins will have their art [worn] all over Coppell,” Roshni Patel said. “It will encourage them to make more art because people are actively appreciating their art.” 

The mask contest united the school with the community through the shared experience of the pandemic.

“It feels good to take what we do in our small world and involve the whole school and community in being creative,” Bearden said.

Follow Sapna (@sapnaamin6) and @CHSCampusNews on Twitter.