ATHENS-Summer life in Athens and Limestone County is on display in a Scotland business as part of an art contest where local students created their impressions of “My Summer.”
Athens is a Sister City with the Stonehaven and NE Scotland Twinning Group, as is Acheres, France. The twinning group held an art contest for students here, Acheres students and Dunnottar School students in Scotland. The contest challenged students to express their summer. All the entries are on display at the Stonehaven David Street Co-op in Stonehaven, Scotland. The store set aside space for this “Wall of Art.”
Students from Athens and Limestone County ranging in ages from 3 to 16 created pieces that reflected their summer, such as:
- Eating ice cream in Athens
- Taking vacations
- Working in a dog kennel
- Swimming
- Reading scripture at church
- Photographing what they saw in nature
- Playing video games
- Sharing their impressions of Athens meeting Stonehaven
On Wednesday, Oct. 20, Athens Mayor Ronnie Marks presented the awards while twinning group member Richard Holman-Baird watched via Zoom from Stonehaven and told the students, “Well done.”
Athens winners per age group are:
- Winner: Kathrene Travare, Age 5, Coxey Church of Christ, watching fireworks at the beach and seeing flowers
- Winner: Avonlea Bahro, Age 7, getting ice cream at Kreme Delite, feeding ducks at the Duck Pond, going to the beach and zoo
- Winner: Emma Lovell, Age 16, Athens Bible School, walking the dog, ballet and Kreme Delite.
Prizes for the three winners included Stonehaven, Scotland, and Athens merchandise and treats. Each participant received “I love Stonehaven” lapel pins, an Athens bicentennial coin and treats.
“These prizes are our recognition to all our twinning friends and children who helped make our Twinning Group Summer Art competition such a great success,” said Phil Mills-Bishop, chair of the Stonehaven and NE Scotland Twinning Group.
Marks said the art competition is a wonderful way to share ideas about each community. The Athens Mayor’s Youth Commission plans to offer a similar contest to the Scottish students later this year.
“Art allows students to express thoughts they may not want to share verbally,” Marks said. “This has been a confidence boost to students as well because our Sister City friends display their creations in another country. How many students can say their artwork has been on display overseas?”
Here is a list of the other student artists who participated:
Emma Lovell
Zadie Malone
Arabella Parsons
Maddie Tanksley
Maggie Nash
Avery Boston
Tyler Sampieri
Will Pace
Jack Weathers
Ally Shaver
Selah Parsons
Jim Weathers
EllaGrace Sampieri
Henry Pace
Snow Lily Travare
Kathrene Travare
Bailey Resendez
Avonlea Bahro
Jaxson Posey
Hadley Carter
Emilee Wilson