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Cedar Hill High School juniors Felix Mendes and Jorge Whitaker were honored last Thursday as two of the five winners of the Dallas Mavericks Black History Month Art Contest, which was open to high school scholars across the Metroplex.

Mendez and Whitaker were recognized during the Mavericks’ February 27 victory over the Charlotte Hornets and were greeted on the American Airlines Center court by Mavericks legend Rolando Blackman and current Mavericks player Caleb Martin.

“I’d never seen an opportunity like this – I never thought I’d get this far,” Mendes said.

Both scholars have their winning art on display at the African American Museum in Dallas. They also received an all-expenses paid trip, courtesy of the Dallas Mavericks, to travel to Washington D.C., March 14-16 where they’ll visit the National Museum of African American History.

Both Mendes and Whitaker qualified for the Visual Arts Scholastic Event (VASE) April 25-26 in San Marcos. Whitaker’s art won a gold medal for the VASE Contest with the same artwork that won the Mavericks contest. Mendes won a VASE gold medal with different artwork.

“I created a dual face to represent the past and current versions of myself, to show how I’ve become interested in my Christian faith now,” said Whitaker, who moved to Cedar Hill from Brooklyn, New York.

Mendes created a portrait of an African American man “to symbolize self expression and gratitude toward the Black community.”