PITTSFIELD, Mass. — During Jazz Appreciation Month, Pittsfield High students' jazz artworks bring a pop of color to the halls of City Hall and the city's annual Berkshire Jazz Festival.

Senior Jackson Almeida took first place and will have his artwork featured around the city on the posters for the annual event. Almeida said he used what he learned from his class to help create the colorful background.

"This year, I took a contemporary painting class, and we learned all about how to make backgrounds and stuff like that. So I decided to use a scrape technique for the background, and I want to make a silhouette so I put the silhouette and the bubbles to make it look cool," he said.

Each year, Berkshire Jazz Inc. sponsors the student art contest to engage the community. The winning entry becomes the graphic for the Pittsfield CityJazz Festival, which kicks off on April 17 to the 25.

Second place was another senior, Madison Stetz, whose artwork featured a group of silhouettes playing instruments in the sunset using oil pastels.

"I take ceramics, so I didn't really know how to like paint or anything, but I grew up using oil pastels, so I knew I wanted to do something with the oil pastels. And I just really liked the way, like the silhouette is, like the sun setting with the lamppost, like looks. I kind of already like 'Princess and the Frog' vibes," she said.

This place went to junior Jonathan Ayala, who used purple and yellow for his design. 

An honorable mention for the judges choice award also went to junior Taylor Blake.

The artwork will be displayed in City Hall for the duration of National Jazz Appreciation Month, an initiative of the Smithsonian Institution that was sanctioned by Congress in 2001. The Student Art Contest was created by Berkshires Jazz board member Art Niedeck nearly two decades ago.

PHS has participated for 17 years, overseen by art teachers Colleen Quinn with support from colleagues Lisa Ostellino, Michael Greenberg, and Alisa Mierzejewski. Small cash prizes are awarded to the top three works.

Members of the Clock Tower Artists Group — coordinator Marion Grant, Joanie Ciolfi and Carolyn Kelly — judged this year's art.

Quinn was overjoyed to see her students win and said they love doing this every year.

"We've been doing this for like, I'm not sure, almost 20 years now, but this one was really special," she said. "These guys, Jackson has been helping me set up this show the past four years, and then when he won this year, we were all like, 'Oh my god', really, it's been great, and they helped me so much. Then Maddie Stetz also her piece, and the other student isn't mine, but he's amazing."

Ayala's teacher, Greenberg ,said it was special to see him receive third place.

"It's really a wonderful, special event in the year," he said. "We spend so much time just in our rooms and coming out here and seeing that art in the world is so fun. Jonathan's such a wonderful artist, so seeing him get recognized is extra special. Yeah, it's very affirming, having the community feel like they embrace the art and it's great."

Mayor Peter Marchetti also congratulated the students.

"I love this event. Every year we get all of your posters that kind of line City Hall," he said.

"Congratulations to all of you whether you won or not, I think some of this stuff is great and the fact that you are doing what you like and doing it to the best of your ability is important."

The new president of Berkshire Jazz Inc., Chuck Walters, presented the awards and was excited to do this for the first time, as he keeps the winners posters close to home.

"I'm excited about today. I'm excited about the Jazz Festival coming up, and this is really the kickoff, my official kickoff of the Jazz Festival," he said. "Since becoming a board member of Berkshires Jazz, I've been a real, real big supporter of this. ...

"What these kids are creating is the face of what we do, I absolutely mean it. If anybody ever showed up in my house, you will see 15 years of posters. So, I feel that this is not only a significant part of the Jazz Festival and what we do, it is exactly what the Jazz Festival means — it is inclusion, the creativity, the improvisational tone of what these kids do is jazz. So it brings jazz full circle back. And I just could not be prouder to be associated with this and to see the work and really hard work that these kids put in."