Students from Evergreen Junior High School are using art as a way to say thanks to U.S. troops overseas.

Every year, seventh-graders in the World Art class spend two weeks studying the works of Vincent Van Gogh and practicing oil pastel techniques and then produce sunflower drawings. Most years, the students, under the direction of art and drama teacher Diana Sparks, bring their drawings home.

This year, however, each student will send their artwork to troops through a program called Operation Iraq-Afghanistan. The program collects much needed items to send to the troops — one of which is artwork.

Artwork is one thing soldiers carry with them. The troops will pack up the drawings with their other essentials to put up at their next stop. The sunflower drawings the students sent to the troops can be viewed at http://schools.lwsd.org/ejh/sparks.