HHS students in the photo are Matt Nisly, junior; Cassie Zook, senior; Stephen Zook, junior; Zach Simpson, senior; and Madison Graber, junior.

Five Hutchinson High School International Baccalaureate Programme art students have entered the Vans Custom Culture competition.

Vans sent sets of four pairs of shoes to schools across the country, and participants were challenged to apply their own designs in four aesthetic categories: Local Flavor, Action Sports, Music and Art.

At HHS, Madison Graber chose the Local Flavor category and gave her shoes a Wizard of Oz theme, designing bows to match those of Dorothy’s shoes in the film.

Cassie Zook and Matt Nisly teamed up to enter the Art division, and created shoes with a theme centered around painting and photography as artistic mediums.

Zac Simpson handled the Action Sports aspect. His shoes centered around the surfing culture, reflected in the floral and water prints he applied.

Stephen Zook elected to design the music-themed shoes. He drew from his own experiences as a musician and ‘60s music culture as influences for his entry.

HHS is one of 1,500 possible entrants chosen for the contest. The contest is now entering its fourth year.

The top 50 entries will be chosen by Vans by April 22. After Vans selects top entries, the public will be able to vote online on the top 50 through May 13, paring the list down to five finalists. Vans will pick the winners from the final five entries.

Winners will receive $50,000 for their schools’ art programs, and a trip to New York for the award ceremony.

For more information on the local entry, contact Deb Ringler, HHS IB art teacher, at (620) 615-4100.