Saginaw Township View

Nouvel students create snow gorilla in this year’s Zehnder’s Snowfest




Nouvel Catholic Central High School students (left to right,) Emily Sadowski, Alec Lapinski, Rocco Lopez-Gamboa and Elizabeth Card carve their piece of snow art during this year’s Zehnder’s Snowfest High School Snow Carving Competition. Eighteen high schools participated; Nouvel students were the only in the View’s coverage area that took part in the event.

Nouvel Catholic Central High School students (left to right,) Emily Sadowski, Alec Lapinski, Rocco Lopez-Gamboa and Elizabeth Card carve their piece of snow art during this year’s Zehnder’s Snowfest High School Snow Carving Competition. Eighteen high schools participated; Nouvel students were the only in the View’s coverage area that took part in the event.

SAGINAW TWP. – Four students from Nouvel Catholic Central High School braved the winter weather this past weekend to transform an 8-foot-tall block of icy snow into a complete work of art.

Students at Nouvel have been competing in the annual Zehnder’s Snowfest Snow Carving Competition for nearly two decades. Though the icy and freezing conditions made it difficult to carve their piece, art teacher and Snowfest advisor Gary Rocha said his students powered through to finish the event.

“I’ve had students competing in this for 19 years. This year there was so much ice, the snow was more like a granular ice crystal, so there were a lot of inconsistencies in the snow. But this event is about facing challenges; that’s what it’s all about,” he said.

This year’s team was comprised of one experienced snow carver and three first-time Snowfest participants. This was junior Elizabeth Card’s third year carving; first-time carvers were senior Emily Sadowski, junior Rocco Lopez- Gamboa and freshman Alec Lipinski,

Nouvel students work to carve their piece during this year’s Snowfest. Alec Lapinski (center) measures out the eight-foot tall snow block, with assistance from (left to right) Elizabeth Card and Rocco Lopez-Gamboa. Photo by Keith Salisbury

Nouvel students work to carve their piece during this year’s Snowfest. Alec Lapinski (center) measures out the eight-foot tall snow block, with assistance from (left to right) Elizabeth Card and Rocco Lopez-Gamboa. Photo by Keith Salisbury

The team debated between a large bass fish or a large gorilla as this year’s subject. In the end the gorilla won. Students carved the large primate posed on a wooden log.

“I always let them select for the most part. A lot of times we do animals and we animate them where they’re doing something they normally wouldn’t do, but this year the students decided to choose a more natural setting,” Rocha said.

Students spent around 21 hours carving their gorilla from an 8-foot by six-foot by six-foot block of snow. They worked Thursday and Friday, Jan. 24 and 25 before judging took place Friday, Jan. 25 at 5 p.m.

The Zehnder’s Snowfest High School Snow Sculpting Winners were:

First place: Hemlock High School – Jared Schoen, Jessica Berlin, Alexandra Seidel and Gavin Briggs with “Paradise”; second place, New Lothrop High School – Katherine Muron, Zane Taylor, Taylor Yaros and Jillian Rau; and third place, John Glen High School Team B – Anna Reinhardt, Tobias Pobanz, Kalyn Inda and Madison Janderewski.

Nouvel students were ranked 11th out of the 18 schools that participated.

Rocha said he is pleased with the students’ performance this year, adding the event isn’t so much about earning a high ranking, then the skills students acquire in working on and completing the project.

“This is about a higher level of thinking and team building,” he said.

“Considering this was a new bunch I’m pretty pleased with where they were. It’s not about earning a high rank really, it’s more about the building, teamwork, problem solving and decision making,” he said.

“The kids enjoy the chance to get out there and have a good time, so I don’t put a lot of emphasis on (winning), but rather what they gain in the process, the journey if you will.”

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