Lakeside High School Art Students Raise Awareness for Breast Cancer with NPMC

During this year’s Breast Cancer Awareness Month in October, Lakeside High School Art students participated in a contest to raise awareness of the signs, symptoms, and personal stories of those affected.

Led by the Director of Radiology, Jo-Dee Russell, the staff at National Park Medical Center (NPMC) began a tradition in 2023 of decorating bras to spur conversation around the prevention of breast cancer. It was a successful in-house event that led several conversations outside of the hospital.

To engage with the community even further, they extended an invite to the high school art students by reaching out to teachers Kristie York and Katie Smith-Johnson, who jumped on board.

“It was so inspiring to see these students embrace the challenge of contest. Their designs were spectacular and their stories behind them very touching,” says Russell.

The students worked on their projects for two weeks, until they were ready to be judged by a panel from NPMC.

“Judging was difficult,” says Lisa Wallace, Chief Nursing Officer. “Ultimately, we considered both the personal stories the students used as the inspiration for their designs, as well as the design itself.”

First place went to Abigail Uldrick and Li Smith for their Warrior bra. Second place went to Berkely Coffman-Smith and Maceon Mitchell for their Angel bra. And third place went to Abigail Contreras and Kayleigh Bahena for their Alice in Wonderland Cheshire Cat bra.

Every bra incorporated a variety of materials, such as feathers, lace, beads, felt, and paper to name a few. Several were painted. One incorporated the Phantom of the Opera theme for a loved one who had breast cancer and loved the opera.

“I certainly hope we can partner again next year and extend the contest to other schools to create even more engagement in our community, as we strive every day to make our communities healthier,” says Wallace.

The Lakeside High School student bras will be on display at the Breast Center at NPMC.

About NPMC

National Park Medical Center (NPMC) has been providing quality healthcare for over 60 years, offering a wide range of inpatient and outpatient specialized services and 160+ hospital beds. Located in Hot Springs, Arkansas, with provider locations across the city, NPMC is a proud part of the Lifepoint Health family of hospitals.