Karla Gonzalez, senior at South San Antonio HS, displays her painting of the Fairmont Hotel that was unveiled at the San Antonio Firsts premiere in the South San school district. Courtesy photo

Special to the Southside Reporter

South San High School senior Kayla Gonzalez didn’t know much about the Fairmont Hotel before she began a painting of it for a class project.

During the course of the assignment, Gonzalez learned that the landmark was the largest hotel to be moved to a new site on pneumatic wheels.

Using recycled chalkboard and magazine clippings, Gonzalez airbrushed her rendering of the structure for the inaugural “San Antonio Firsts” exhibit put on by the South San Antonio Independent School District.

“I was excited,” Gonzalez said. “I was able to do it in an abstract manner.”

The painting was one of 13 displayed at the event in the collaborative effort by students of West Campus and South San Antonio high schools on March 13.

They showcase science-related accomplishments in San Antonio.

West Campus High School senior Paul Morales discovered the U.S.S. San Antonio during his collaboration.

“I knew it existed, but I didn’t know anything about it,” Morales said. Morales worked on the painting with two other classmates over a two-week period.

“I thought it was pretty cool,” Morales said. “I was never much of a painter.”

Other contributors included: Mary Baughman, science department chair at South San; Millicent Marcha, chemistry teacher at South San and Paul Pearson, building trades instructor at South San.