CHARLESTON, WV – First Lady Cathy Justice announced the winners of her Create a Quarter for West Virginia contest today during a Valentine’s Day reception at the Culture Center in Charleston.
The contest, in honor of Presidents’ Day, is the sixth installment of the First Lady’s Student Artist Series, an initiative that promotes the importance of arts within schools throughout West Virginia by hosting art competitions for students of varying age levels during special holidays.
For this contest, all 11th-grade students attending public and private schools in West Virginia were invited to participate. Students were asked to study the history of Presidents’ Day and then re-create the reverse side of our West Virginia state quarter in an artistic way.
The First Lady selected first through tenth place winners and also five honorable mentions. Winners of the contest are listed below. The students will be receiving gift cards for their talented art pieces that featured scenes from Blackwater Falls, West Virginia University, the State Capitol Complex, and more.
The Valentine’s Day reception also featured a cello performance by Camden Wentz, a Buckhannon-Upshur High School student, a visit from 95-year-old veteran Jackson Jones, and a special thank you to Shirley White and several Gold Star Mothers.
First Place
Jada Morris
Poca High School
Putnam County
Second Place
Senaa Wilburn
Huntington High School
Cabell County
Third Place
Brett Waggy
Pendleton County High School
Pendleton County
Fourth Place
Takenya Adkins
Lincoln County High School
Lincoln County
Fifth Place
Charles Hartzog
Parkersburg High School
Wood County
Sixth Place
Brealynn Harper
Cabell Midland High School
Cabell County
Seventh Place
Cheylin Woodruff
Pocahontas County High School
Pocahontas County
Eighth Place
Teirney Meadows
Poca High School
Putnam County
Ninth Place
Aliyah Pelley
Wheeling Park High School
Ohio County
Tenth Place
Ty Cochran
Pocahontas County High School
Pocahontas County
Honorable Mention
Logan Hively
Pocahontas County High School
Pocahontas County
Honorable Mention
Brandon Portz
South Charleston High School
Kanawha County
Honorable Mention
Daisy St. Clair
Huntington High School
Cabell County
Honorable Mention
Kaylie Elizabeth Williams
Riverside High School
Kanawha County
Honorable Mention
Jeremy Taylor
Oak Glen High School
Hancock County