The Issaquah School District chose three new pieces of student artwork last week to add to its collection.

“(The artwork) shows our focus on the arts as well as academics,” Superintendent Steve Rasmussen said.

One piece each from the elementary, middle and high schools were added.

Annette Guo, 10, a fourth-grader at Cascade Ridge, presented her piece, an amazing still life, to the board amid much applause from the audience. Annette began art four years ago with some traditional Chinese art, then moved on to sketching and now acrylics.

A group art project by Maywood Middle School students Brian Lunnenkamp, Janzen Murch and Meg Partridge was also selected. They created an abstract acrylic piece that was a replica of a master’s painting, but none of the students knew which one.

Recent Skyline graduate Natasha McIrvin was the third recipient to present her piece, also an acrylic, which featured a fall scene.

“It was an assignment for the district calendar,” she said. “We had to do seasons — fall and winter.”

McIrvin plans to continue using her creative gift. She is leaving soon for the Culinary Art Institute of America in New York City.

All of the students whose artwork was chosen were paid by the district; prices range from $50 to $100 depending on the size of the piece and the number of artists.

The art will all be added to the Kateri D. Brow Memorial Student Art Collection, which is on display throughout the administration building.

The district started buying artwork in 1998 with the formation of the Kateri D. Brow collection, which was started by private donors in memory of Kateri Brow, a past superintendent of the Issaquah School District.

Each year the district chooses artwork that has come to the attention of the superintendent either through school visits, teacher suggestions or calendar submissions.