PENDLETON — A piece of art made by a Pendleton High School student will soon hang in the halls of Congress.

On Friday, May 14, the Pendleton School District announced that senior MacElle Kirsch had won the 2021 Congressional Art Competition for Oregon’s 2nd Congressional District. Kirsch’s winning piece is a paper collage entitled “North American Bobcat in the Snow.”

According to a press release, Kirsch said she’s always preferred depicting animals in her artwork and her winning piece was modeled after a picture from a game camera.

“Nothing is more enjoyable than to form a mental image in one’s own mind, and then replicate it onto a physical canvas,” she said in the press release.

Kirsch has already won accolades for her past artwork, winning Best in Show for Student Work at the Open Regional Exhibit at the Pendleton Center for the Arts for a different piece, “Sumatran Tiger in the Jungle.”

In a statement, Pendleton High School art teacher Alice Thomas praised Kirsch for the preparation and meticulousness she puts into her work.

“MacElle is original in her concepts, and comes up with unique ideas,” Thomas said. “She trusts her instincts, is extremely reflective and can talk and write about her art with ease and intelligence.”

The Congressional Art Competition is a national contest meant to showcase art from high school students from each of the country’s 435 congressional districts. Kirsch will soon get the chance to travel to Washington, D.C., and view her art at the U.S. Capitol, where it will be displayed for the next year.

After high school, Kirsch plans to attend Blue Mountain Community College before eventually transferring to a four-year university.