What do West Virginia high school students think about when they consider iconic West Virginia images? The winning entries for the 2020 Create-a-Quarter-for-West-Virginia contest reveal much.
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In conjunction with Presidents’ Day, the sixth installment of the Student Artist Series, was emceed by West Virginia First Lady Cathy Justice, who established the series to promote the arts in schools by hosting competitions for students during special holidays.
Eleventh-grade students attending public and private schools in West Virginia were asked by Justice to study the history of Presidents’ Day and then re-create the reverse side of our West Virginia state quarter in an artistic way.
Justice selected first-through-tenth-place winners and five honorable mentions.
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Winning entries included representations of Dolly Sods, a coal miner, Seneca Rocks, Blackwater Falls, the Mothman legend, the West Virginia capitol, the gristmill at Babcock State Park, the historic wine cellars at Dunbar, Woodburn Hall at West Virginia University, Cass Scenic Railroad State Park, Green Bank Observatory, Hawks Nest State Park, and Blennerhassett Island State Park.
Jada Morris, of Poca High School, in Putnam County, won first place with her representation of Dolly Sods.Senaa Wilburn, of Huntington High School, won second place with her representation of Blackwater Falls.Brett Waggy, of Pendleton County High School, won third place with his representation of Seneca Rocks.Takenya Adkins, of Lincoln County High School, won fourth place with her representation of the Mothman statue.Charles Hartzog, of Parkersburg High School, won fifth place with his representation of the Blennerhassett Mansion.Brealynn Harper, of Cabell Midland High School, won sixth place with her representation of Babcock State Park.Cheylin Woodruff, of Pocahontas County High School, won seventh place with her representation of Woodburn Hall.Teirney Meadows, of Poca High School, won eighth place with her representation of Hawks Nest State Park.Aliyah Pelley, of Wheeling Park High School, won ninth places with her portrayal of a West Virginia coal miner.Ty Cochran, of Pocahontas County High School, won tenth place for his representation of Cass Scenic Railroad.Logan Hively, of Pocahontas County High School, was honored for his representation of Green Bank Observatory.Brandon Portz, of South Charleston High School, was honored for his representation of the Dunbar Wine Cellars.Daisy St. Clair, of Huntington High School, was honored for her representation of the West Virginia Capitol.Kaylie Elizabeth Williams, of Riverside High School, was honored for her representation of the Glade Creek Gristmill.Jeremy Taylor, of Oak Glen High School, was honored for his representation of the Chester Teapot.Sign up to receive a FREE copy of West Virginia Explorer Magazine in your email weekly. Sign me up!
Historian, real estate agent, and proponent of inventive economic development in West Virginia, David Sibray is the founder and publisher of West Virginia Explorer Magazine. For more information, he may be reached at 304-575-7390.
