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November 4, 2009

Students achieve success in Windy City

BY KIM LUTTRELL

DANVILLE — Five Oakwood High School students recently placed fourth in an art competition in Chicago. The students competed against 30 schools mostly from the Chicago area.

The students were Corwin Bloemker, Savanna Coon, Kody McGee, John Rice and Nichole Townsley.

The contest, sponsored by the Chicago Botanic Garden, office of Gov. Pat Quinn, Illinois Department of Natural Resources and Upcycle Products, was at Navy Pier. The contest was called Art on a Rain Barrel and required the students to paint a previously approved design onto a rain barrel in a specified amount of time. The theme for the art was to be freshwater.

“There were three divisions in the contest,” said Breanna Whittum, science and study skills teacher at Oakwood High School. “Our students competed in the high school division which was ages 14–18.”

Whittum said she first found out about the contest last April from district curriculum coordinator Michelle Kimbro.

“The contest rules required us to submit our design on a large piece of paper for judging by June 1,” explained Whittum.

While Whittum’s students are special needs students, they would not allow her to enter them as such. They wanted to be considered like everyone else based on their artistic ability.

“In mid-July we received word that we had been selected to be in the contest,” Whittum added.

“On September 19 we went to Navy Pier in Chicago to paint our design on a rain barrel,” Whittum said. “We were competing against 50 other schools.”

“We happened to be the school that was farthest away from Chicago,” added Whittum.

“I am very proud of these kids,” Whittum said. “They competed against some schools that had worked with professional artists on their designs.”

According to Whittum, as exciting as the competition was for her students, visiting a big city and Navy Pier was probably just as exciting to her students.

“These are special needs students and none of them had ever been to Chicago,” explained Whittum.

“We are very proud of what our students accomplished in Chicago,” said Keven Forney, superintendent of Oakwood schools.

“This is one of our priorities at Oakwood is to improve the education of our special needs students so that they can learn and grow with opportunities like this,” added Forney.

“I also want to commend Breanna for the work she has done,” Forney said. “She has only been with us for two years, but she has demonstrated a lot of motivation in her work.”

“Her hard work has been successful for her as well as her students.” Forney added.

For its fourth place finish, the group received a rain barrel that is going to be incorporated into the landscaping at Oakwood High School and a certificate signed by Quinn. Their decorated rain barrel is on display inside Oakwood High School.

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