Reduce. Reuse. Recycle.

Most people, when they read or hear that phrase, only think of soda cans and paper being thrown into a green bin.

However, junior Justin Kahl created a working guitar made out of recycled cardboard for the Visual Arts Scholastic Event (VASE), which is the largest student art contest in Texas.

“My art teacher said I should compete in VASE and I didn’t know what to make,” Kahl said. “However, my friend Veronica said, ‘Hey, you should make a guitar. That would be pretty cool.’”

Although Kahl has never competed in VASE before, he already had prior experience how to create things out of cardboard. Making a guitar would be a good challenge for him.

“I’m really good at making cardboard stuff,” Kahl said.

Kahl has been playing guitar for two years now. His love for guitar motivated him to work hard and base the cardboard guitar on his personal guitar, which is a Schecter Hellraiser.

With the exception of hardware material like tuner and pickups, the guitar is all cardboard.

“I just took the measurements,” Kahl said.

Sadly, Kahl did not make state. He found out later that if the judges knew that the guitar worked, he would have definitely gone to state.

However, he did not let this bring him down and is already looking forward to next year.

“I was thinking of making another guitar next year, but bigger,” Kahl said.

Like many students enrolled in the art program, Kahl continues to progress and enhance the skills that will one day help him become an engineer.