Jessica Votipka
A colorful mural was unveiled recently at Envision High School featuring a vibrant rainbow — or, in Nahuatl, a “cozamayotl.”
The mural unveiled Thursday was a collaboration between CPLC Nahui Ollin, Envision High School youth and Galeria Mitotera. It was done by students as part of the two-year, grant-funded Cozamayotl Project, which centered around the health and safety of local youth.
“It’s a project that’s meant to empower youth — give them a platform, introduce more art into their lives and just talk about the meaning of art and how that’s a form of expression and how it can be just so powerful,” said Lizbeth Oquita, a CPLC Nauhi Ollin Youth Prevention & Wellness Facilitator.
As part of the afterschool programming, students went on a mural tour of Tucson.
“It had the students see the different art here in Tucson, learn about their meanings, learn a little bit about their history, so that they can see just like how powerful of a tool art can be,” Oquita said.
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There were also art-centered afterschool sessions with youth to discuss core components of identity, like culture, gender identity and having a sense of self, Oquita explained.
Nahui Ollin Youth Prevention and Wellness Facilitator Bernice Contreras said they could see many components in the mural, including the representation of students’ cultures.
“I thought it was beautiful to see the cultural components that are hidden. That’s something that makes me feel a lot of joy.”
According to the Arizona Department of Education, 83.75% of Envision’s students are Hispanic. In 2022-23, ADE data shows that 40% of four-year students graduated from Envision High, an alternative charter school. This year, 24 students are graduating, said Mayra Vasquez-Chavez, media relations manager for Envision. She said 11 students in the Class of 2024 are pursuing college or trade school. Two students are pursuing military service.
The Nahui Ollin Wellness Program builds upon young people’s strengths to create a foundation of confidence and improved decision-making. Service-learning and leadership opportunities help solidify the foundation.
It’s a philosophy that lines up squarely with Envision High’s own approach, one that incorporates social and emotional learning (SEL) into student and faculty’s everyday lives.
Stacy Zinman is the Acting Principal at Envision High School and a specialist in social and emotional learning.
“This has been a way for our students to connect to their culture,” Zinman said. “It’s allowed them to have an opportunity to collaborate with their peers and work on something that they feel really good about as a community.”
Things would have been different for Contreras growing up if they had resources like Nauhi Ollin available when they were younger.
“It’s something that would have really helped me, especially as a queer kid back then, to have healthier ways of coping with my emotions, or having more support when it came to, like, expressing who I was, and not having to hide … having more of those skills to feel my emotions.”
Angela Funderburgh, a sophom*ore at Envision High School, has struggled with anxiety since kindergarten. Things are different now; Funderburgh was prom queen this year and — among other activities — was involved in student council.
It’s all about kindness and a sense of community, Funderburgh said. “They understand the things that I’m going through instead of just brushing it off. My best friend, she’s done a lot for me, and she helped with the mural.”
Envision High, an alternative charter school, has about 80 students in grades 9-12. The small class sizes are ideal for Funderburgh, she said.
“I feel very fortunate that it’s a small school because we are able to address the individual needs of each student; each student comes to us with different needs,” Zinman said. “A student could have all A’s, there’s always something that could be addressed. We make sure to focus on all students no matter what, and address their needs.”
“A lot of times, maybe we don’t feel safe to express who we are yet, or a lot of times, you don’t know who you are yet,” Contreras said. “That’s why we make it a point to ignite conversations where we talk to them about gender and sexuality so they can get more familiar and start discovering who they are.”
Oquita said, “A big thing that I see in the mural and something that really stood out to me in the sessions with the youth is this idea of transformation — going somewhere … growth. Just feeling very proud of our student body.
“We have a lot of amazing artists and Envision has so many talented, skilled youth. I’m excited for them to continue connecting with the community.”
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Jessica Votipka
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