Now in its ninth year, the Academic Expedition is designed to publicly recognize Castillero students for outstanding classroom achievement. At the May 25 event, 336 students presented their best work in math, science, visual arts, drama, language arts, social science, computer science, physical education, technical drawing and leadership to panels of guest experts from the community.

Seventh-grader Marie Barlaan presented an abstract self-portrait she painted after studying similar works by Picasso in art class.

"My favorite part of this piece is the right eye because it zooms in and makes it look huge," Marie said.

Guest expert Dena Noble, an artist who has two children enrolled at Castillero, praised Marie for her creativity in dissembling and reassembling her features for the portrait.

"It looks like each section is its own painting," Noble said.

Advanced drama student Carissa McElravy got creative in choosing a monologue to present to her panel. She chose dialogue from the animated movie Finding Nemo, when a forgetful fish named Dory begs her friend Marlin not to leave her behind.

Seventh-grader Ileana Rizo combined what she learned in language arts with what she learned in social studies to create the fictional diary of Albert, a baker's apprentice in medieval Europe.

Guest expert Elizabeth Bliss, an administrator in the San Jose Unified School District's Office of Parent Education and Involvement, asked Ileana whether she would have wanted to be a boy or a girl if she'd lived in medieval times.

"I would have been a girl, but with a higher position" in the feudal system, Ileana replied.

"The higher you are, the more you can help the rest of the community," Bliss told her.

Bliss said afterward that building community is the purpose of the Academic Expedition.

"For students to be able to make these presentations gives them so much pride," she added. "It's for them to see that they're part of the community and for the community to see the hard work teachers put in every day."