Hughson High School Students to Be Honored After Winning Create Change, Peace Essay and Art Contest
Art

March 4, 2026

In November, students from Hughson High School submitted their artwork, poetry and essays to the "Create Change, Peace Essay and Art Contest" hosted by the Modesto Peace/Life Center. Hughson students won seven of the ten high school winning spots.

The topic was “Social Media and Nonviolence.” Students were asked to consider whether social media encourages or discourages non-violence as a way to manage conflict, or if it is a driver in violence in the United States. They were asked to choose a specific social media conflict and depict non-violent responses to violence or the effectiveness of non-violent solutions.

In poetry, out of 19 entries, Izabel Delgadillo-Bratcher and Everett Perryman won first and second place for their poems, “The Digital Mirror” and “Clean Slate.” In the “Digital Mirror,” Delgadillo-Bratcher explored “how social media affects young girls and changes them,” and that no matter how happy or beautiful a girl may be in real life, on social media, she will face insults, shaming, and pressure to change herself in ways an older generation may not understand. “You are never truly happy if you are changing who you are to be like other people who are considered beautiful. You lose yourself and can never truly be happy when you are only being who others want you to be,” she wrote alongside her submission.

In “Clean Slate,” Perryman considered the costs and benefits of social media, platforms in which the positive may outweigh the negatives: “If you hold strong through the comments, the help you can get from your peers and professionals online can help you live your life better than you could have before,” he said.

In the art category, out of 49 entries, Sophia Aguiar won first place, Madison Cisneros won second place, and Gabriella Gordo won third place. Aguiar, in her painting titled “No Limitations,” sought to convey “how social media connects us. Distance or borders limit us in our search for connection and knowledge. The subject of the painting is able to have access to knowledge and communication that, at any other time in history, would have been deemed impossible. Often, fear-mongering happens due to the uncontrollable nature of these sites and connections when we should instead harness this expanse of possibilities.”

Cisneros created her piece as a way “to inspire others to spread and share kindness throughout social media, and to show that all social media isn't bad, but could be positive and loving.”

For Gordo, “everything has a good and a bad,” and social media is no exception. In her drawing, “two girls who are split by the positive and the negative of social media.” Through small drawings around the subjects, Gordo symbolized this dynamic, for example, “the blue person in the corner to the left symbolizes isolation, depression, and anxiety. And the globe with the lines across it symbolizes staying connected and meeting new people.”

In the essay category, Kevin Ochoa-Mendoza took second place out of 72 entries, and Dax Barth received Vanguard Recognition in the Graphic Comic category.

The winners will receive recognition at an awards ceremony on March 5 from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. at Bookish in Roseburg Square, Modesto.

Grace Curry Named National Finalist in Agricultural Proficiency
Grace Curry

August 20, 2025

Hughson High School Senior Grace Curry of the Hughson FFA chapter has been named a national finalist this year for the Swine Production- Placement Agricultural Proficiency Award. Only four FFA members nationwide are selected as national finalists in each agricultural proficiency award area.

The Swine Placement Proficiency Award area is specific to students who work for an employer applying the best management practices available to produce efficiently and market swine and their raw products.

While in high school, Curry’s uncle, James Backman, showed pigs at the Stanislaus County Fair, and “the spark was lit for him to start his show pig operation, Small Town Genetics,” Curry said. “What started as a couple of sows (mom pigs) grew into one of the top show pig farms in the state of California. Currently, there are about 200 sows at Small Town, and there can be anywhere from 650-700 pigs on the farm at any given time.”

“Some of my earliest memories are running around with his pigs on the farm,” she said. “As I grew up, my love for pigs as well as the swine industry as a whole rapidly grew and once my family and I moved out to the farm when I was in fifth grade.” Along with showing pigs, Curry got involved with the production side of raising pigs with Small Town Genetics.

“While there's always more to learn, most of what I know now about swine production is due to the countless hours I have spent in the barn with my uncle. Over the years, he has taught me everything that I know about swine production. Through hands-on experience, I have learned how to properly feed pigs, clean and maintain barns, recognize signs of illness and administer treatments, assist in the breeding and farrowing of sows, and process and wean piglets.”

It was that proficiency Curry demonstrated in her application. The competition began with a sectional-level application, followed by regional and state levels, with each win leading them closer to the national competition. Three state finalists are interviewed to select the State Winner. The State Winner’s application is then forwarded to the National level.

FFA Advisor Kelly Larson explained, “Grace had to powerfully describe her Swine project in the application components in order to allow the judges to see the depth of knowledge.”

The 20+ page application includes written answers, photographs that document her involvement with the project, and records to validate the hours spent working at Small Town Genetics.

“I believe that Grace stands out in this area because of her in-depth knowledge of the swine industry,” FFA Advisor Kelly Larson said. “Grace is a talented young lady who is top-notch in demonstrating her skills within raising, marketing, and showing swine.”

Curry serves as a resource for her fellow students in FFA and a role model for 4-H members. “Grace is a true team player who fully supports the swine industry in all facets and will continue making an impact through her future career plans,” Larson said.

As a finalist, Curry will be interviewed by a panel of industry professionals in late September via Zoom. Judges will ask her questions regarding her proficiency area and project specifics. The interview score is then combined with her application score to determine the National Winner.

Students who have worked with Curry describe her as “amazing,” “hard-working,” and “energetic.

“Grace is always climbing to new levels of success, and her hard work ethic is something all of us can learn from to be better in our own endeavors,” Larson said.

Finalists will be recognized at an award session at the National FFA Convention in Indianapolis. The National Winner will be announced during the Friday morning session.

Along with being a national finalist for proficiency, Curry is also part of the Hughson Livestock Judging Team that will represent the State of California at the National Competition. Her team won High Team at the Cal Poly State Finals Livestock Judging Contest, and Curry won Sixth High Individual. She placed Second in the State in the Prepared Public Speaking Contest and has achieved numerous successes in the ring throughout her time in FFA.

Hughson High School's Bailey Bilson Soars to Third Place in National Aerial Competition
Bailey Bilson

August 12, 2025

Hughson High School Senior Bailey Bilson, daughter of Brad and Andrea Bilson, qualified and was invited to participate in the national Aerialympics. The Aerialympics is a national aerial arts competition with five regional competitions throughout the year: Oregon, Florida, Wisconsin, and two in Texas.

Bilson entered the San Antonio regional competition, but with her many other high school commitments, was able to compete through a Zoom recorded meeting during which judges evaluated her performance.

After receiving their feedback, Bailey was awarded Third Place in the San Antonio regionals. Top scores from the year were then invited to the National competition in Kansas City, Missouri in July.

The week-long event included different divisions each day: Novice, Intermediate 1, Intermediate 2, Advanced, and All-Star. Bilson competed in the Advanced Division. With feedback from the regional competition, she perfected her routine and took Third in her Division.

“It was pretty awesome,” Andrea Bilson said. “She was just excited to be invited to the national event and get to watch some of the best performers in the country and perform on the same stage. So to get Third Place was pretty amazing.”

Bailey Bilson begins her senior year at Hughson High School this fall. “This is a very talented young woman,” Thompson said. “When she came to Hughson High as a freshman, I noticed she had a lot of leadership ability as well as talent. She also has a great work ethic and a willingness to serve others. This is a great combination of skills and gifts. We have used her in choir and drama to help choreograph many of our shows. She has great people skills and organizational ability.  She comes prepared and gets the job done. She is also a wonderful actress, having played the part of Olaf in Frozen and a Narrator in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat this year.

Three years ago, Bilson told Thompson she wanted to do an aerial routine for the high school production “Best of the Best.” In it, Bilson hung 10 feet off the floor doing spins, turns and drops that drew excited gasps from the audience.

Bilson first began dancing when she was three years old. “And I’ve pretty much been doing it all my life, so I love performing.” When a friend invited her to attend an aerial class, it sounded different and fun to her, “and kind of like dancing in the air.”

Bilson was thirteen at the time. The class took place in a teacher’s backyard. With her natural strength, Bilson caught on quickly. The class closed, but Bilson continued on her own and learned new tricks.

It is not easy. Bilson said her lack of flexibility comes as a challenge. “I took acrobatics for a few years and learned that I am not flexible, but I’m strong. I try to stretch as much as I can, but it seems to injure me a little bit, so I’ve just started to put tricks into my routine that feature my strength rather than my flexibility.”

It is a strength she is proud of. “I’m so grateful that God gave me the strength to do this and to help me, not only get to nationals but to win third place. I’m proud of how far I’ve gone with it even though it started out and still is just a fun thing that I do.”

Bilson is currently working on a new routine for Hughson High School’s Best of the Best show this spring, her favorite of all the performances she participates in, and plans to compete regionally again. In the meantime, “I will definitely be adding some tricks that I got inspiration from at the national competition. I’ll just be keeping my strength up and learning new and improved tricks.”

Her dream is to “entertain the people who watch me.” Bilson said, “Listening to how my performance really touched them is the best part, so I don’t need to go professional or anything.”

But that doesn’t stop her from dreaming of returning to nationals again. “That was an amazing experience.”