Portland pupil beats dozens of other primary school artists

Lucia van der Ross used to be quiet in class, but now she is confident and talkative.

The change, says her teacher Kauthar Samuels, is due to the art therapy sessions that have been incorporated into the school’s creative arts classes.

Last week, Lucia’s painting of a girl brushing her teeth won third place in the National Science Week Art Competition 2025. The Grade 5 pupil at Portland Primary competed against 174 other students in the national primary school competition which “celebrates the connection between art and water by exploring the unique role water plays in our world”.

Lucia says she wanted her painting to show how crucial water is to our survival.“I wanted to show that we use water every day. We can’t live without water. We need it to survive. Even for the simplest of things we need water,” the 11-year-old said.

Samuels said she is very proud of her pupil.

“Lucia is an all-rounder,” she said, adding the girl is one of her top students and is very helpful in class. “She’s confident in everything that she does.”

This wasn’t always the case though. Samuels says at the beginning of the year Lucia was very timid. Her confidence grew though as she took part in the art lessons at school and she’s seen the same changes in other learners.

“It boosts their confidence, especially the quiet ones. Where there are learners that have gone through traumas, art has really helped them,” she said. “There’s a vast difference when they come back. They can’t always talk about the feelings they have but they draw it out. Our children go through such a lot that we as adults are really not aware of. ”

Mark Jeneker, the trained art therapist at the school, agrees with Samuels’ statement. He said sometimes children break down crying in his classes.

“Something in the art triggers them and brings out the trauma,” Samuels said.

“I’m like a daddy here at the school,” Jeneker said, with which Samuels agreed. “A lot of the boys don’t have father figures,” she said. “But they see Mr Jeneker as a father figure.”