Lexington High School ninth grader Kaiya Grace Drenten illustrated a recently published children’s educational book. A family friend encouraged 14-year-old Drenten to submit her artwork to a committee working on an educational guide that supplements a book titled The Life of the Sleeping Bear.
“Since I was little, I’ve always enjoyed drawing,” said Drenten. “I used my tablet to draw the bears and artwork for this project. I was so excited when the committee chose my work for their book.”
The book focuses on the Sleeping Bear Dunes in Michigan. The educational supplement, “Exploring the Sleeping Bear,” offers hands-on activities and lessons to help students better understand what they read in the book.
Drenten, who is a student in the Lexington District One Online Learning Academy this fall, drew all of the black line artwork seen in the 24-page educational guide.
“I really enjoy digital art the most. I even took a two-week class at the Art Institute Chicago last summer and loved it,” said Drenten. “I admit that drawing the bears, especially their legs, was tough. But it was rewarding to see them in the published book.”
Though Drenten loves art, she says she’ll probably pursue a career in technology or engineering.
