Local Rivals Unveil Community Sculpture Project

Students from Colton and Grand Terrace High Schools collaborate on the Taylor Street Sculpture Project

Darwin Gonzalez, Pepper Bough Staff Writer • May 22, 2026

The combination of students in Colton High’s Welding Pathway and Grand Terrace High’s A.R.T.S. Academy celebrate their successful sculpture collaboration.

Grand Terrace, CA—Every year the cities of Colton and Grand Terrace are used to meeting each other on football fields, basketball courts and the baseball and softball diamonds to compete against each other as local rivals. It is rare to see the schools come together in collaboration and the beautification of the community.

That changed on May 1, when after three years of design and hard work, the collaborative Taylor Street Sculpture project was unveiled in an event held at the Condor Energy Storage facility in Grand Terrace.

The Taylor Street Sculpture Project is located on Taylor in Grand Terrace, just south of Main Street across from Grand Terrace High School. The sculpture depicts images that represent the Grand Terrace community, including wild burros, honey bees, and train tracks. (Darwin Gonzalez)

The sculpture project, a collaboration between Grand Terrace High School’s A.R.T.S. Academy and Colton High’s Welding Pathway, was commissioned three years ago by Arevon Energy as part of a requirement by the city of Grand Terrace that new city projects must be adorned with public art.

The sculpture, designed by a group of five Grand Terrace High students, represents various elements of the GT community. It includes images of trees, burros, the bees of Honey Hills, train tracks, the blue Lupine that gives Blue Mountain its name, and references to community sports and CalSkate.

“We want to have the students design something that represents this city,” said Kari Harvey, advisor of the A.R.T.S. Academy. “Who better than the students of Grand Terrace to define what Grand Terrace is and what represents it?”

After finalizing the sculpture’s design, GTHS reached out to Colton High School’s Welding Pathway for support with the welding elements of the sculpture project, leading to the start of a collaboration where both schools were able to use their creativity for the community.

Juan Alvarez and Anthony Reveles cut the red ribbon at the unveiling of the Taylor Street Sculpture on May 1. (Darwin Gonzalez)

Chris Barta, advisor of Colton High’s Welding Pathway valued the project, for both its professional and communal aspects. “It was a positive experience all the way around and a ‘real’ project for the kids to sink their teeth into,” he said. “Kari Harvey and her brother were a pleasure to work with.”

Harvey was also complimentary of Colton High’s involvement on the project. “They’re outstanding people over there. The teachers are amazing, and they’re also very willing to get involved.”

This project encouraged students from the rival schools to work together, putting aside their school differences.

Alicia Flores from Grand Terrace High School said, “It was actually really nice. They took initiative, and they did a really good job installing this. Everyone was hands on.”

Colton High’s Nikolas Lara agreed, adding, “Everyone was friendly and knew it was a collaborative project, so a huge thanks to the GT A.R.T.S. pathway.”

This project is not only a huge accomplishment for those involved, but also as a potential start for both schools to engage in future projects together.

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