Maricopa High School students are turning art into action with the launch of the first ever Copa Creates festival, a student-led event raising funds and awareness for suicide prevention.

The festival, hosted by the Star Digital Design Club and part of a SkillsUSA community service project, was held at Maricopa High School today. Attendees browsed and purchased handmade artwork from both student and local artists. Eighty-five percent of all proceeds benefitted the Arizona Suicide Prevention Coalition.

“This is something that we’re passionate about,” said Isis Anderson, an 11th grade student and one of the organizers of this event. “Suicide … especially with all of us being young adults, that is really prominent in our generation.”

Anderson coupled that with a desire to give back.

“Community service, giving back to the community, it’s really good for us,” she said.

A dozen and a half vendors offered a range of unique creations.

“We have artists who do paintings, sculptures, jewelry, crocheting — it’s just a whole variety of homemade art,” explained sophomore Aaliyah Cox. “A lot of young entrepreneurs here too. It’s just a fun way to look around.”

“My favorite is probably Rose Crochets,” Cox said, motioning to a booth selling crocheted hats. “They’re really nice stuff. They’re so cute. Everything over there is so cute.”

In addition to vendor booths, student art is on display throughout the venue. “You have really talented students in this district,” said sophomore Elle McDermott.

“My favorite part is just seeing everybody get along together,” said McDermott. “The community comes together just to be one. I mean, they’re so sweet.”

For many of the students organizing the event, the cause hit close to home.

“I just wanted to help the community and with Arizona Suicide Prevention,” Cox said. “I know how it feels with friends, and I just wanted to always support that.”

“Yes, definitely,” Anderson added when asked if suicide prevention is a pressing issue among their classmates. “I know a lot of people who’ve also struggled with their mental health. So, being able to give to an organization who uses that money to empower others — that’s really meaningful to me as a person.”

Copa Creates also doubles as a SkillsUSA competition project, focused on career and technical readiness. Anderson previously traveled to nationals and placed third with her community service team.

“When we won, it was like so crazy. It was shocking,” she recalled. “Even placing third at nationals was life changing. It empowered or pushed me to continue doing this … I want to encourage others to be a part of what helped me be happy.”

Festival organizers hope to continue the project next year, with the goal of expanding both attendance and impact.

“We just want people to feel encouraged by that and feel the need to do the same — or the want to do the same,” Anderson said. “Even though this is our first year with it being Copa Creates instead of Art for the Heart, we want to give more.”

“We don’t really focus on the competition,” said Cox. “It’s more just helping others. We really do care.”

The festival also showcases the talents of the Star Digital Design Club, a student group focused on graphic arts, printing and design. Club President Jayden Malone and Vice President Logan Winnecke walked visitors through the design booths, where students were selling high-quality posters, custom shirts and original digital art.

Winnecke emphasized the professional approach the students take to their designs. “We don’t directly steal art,” he said. “We make sure we treat it like official art. If it was the official company doing it, they’d have it like this.”

They also analyze which designs sell best and why. “There’s two days to the event, and then, like, you have one day — what sells, what didn’t — and that’ll teach you,” Malone explained. “You can nitpick the design afterward and then say, this worked, this didn’t. It helps people learn too.”

Their work supports both the club and the student artists themselves. “Our students get some of the proceeds,” said Malone. “I made it that way specifically because I wanted to motivate people to participate.”

The students said their goal was to go beyond just raising money — they wanted to foster genuine community connection after rebranding the event, which for the last five years was called Art for the Heart and raised money for the American Heart Association.

“All year, we have been working to not only rebuild ourselves from our previous organization,” Malone said, “but also rebuild our connection to the community.”

The group had a fundraising goal of $1,000, which Malone said he believed had already been met before the day was done.

“Suicide prevention — it has been such a contentious point in our generation,” said Malone. “It’s just permeating every corner of our age range. And it’s a thing that we hold near and dear to ourselves.”

Looking ahead, the students are hopeful the event will only grow.

“I hope our next event, more people come out after hearing about this one and how well it went,” said McDermott. “We’ll get even more vendors and more support so we can make it even bigger and better.”