Energizing creative expression among Indiana students
Since 1998, Indiana Connection and participating Indiana electric cooperatives have held an annual art contest for Indiana students in grades kindergarten through 12. The winning works from each grade are then used to illustrate the Cooperative Calendar of Student Art that participating REMCs/RECs have distributed. Each of the numbered grades is given the corresponding month of the year to illustrate: 12 grades, 12 months. It’s a perfect combination. Kindergartners are assigned the cover each year. The calendar is localized by the participating cooperatives to provide important information to consumers such as billing and annual meeting dates, phone numbers and electrical safety and energy efficiency information. The calendar helps co-ops meet one of the 7 cooperative principles — member information and education. In addition, by being illustrated with student art, the calendar helps fulfill another of the 7 principles — commitment to community. As more art programs in schools face budgetary challenges, Indiana Connection believes encouraging the arts — the imagination, self-expression and creativity these disciplines stimulate — is vital to society. Not only do the arts produce aesthetic beauty and entertainment for our hearts and souls, studies after study show the arts play a key role alongside science, technology, engineering and math in producing the minds of well-rounded, problem-solving, thoughtful individuals needed to lead and run our modern, high-tech world.
Congratulations to our 2021 Winners!
Here are the students who will be gracing the pages of our 2021 Cooperative Calendar of Student Art.
Grade Division winners ($200)
Kindergarten: Lily Jones, Charlestown
First Grade: Violet Kesler, Warsaw
Second: Olivia DeShamp, Jasper
Third Grade: Evie Huff, Monrovia
Fourth Grade: SaRai Fontanez, Seymour
Fifth Grade: Logan Huff, Monrovia
Sixth Grade: Harley Koons, Seymour
Seventh Grade: Bryan Michael Yoder, Shipshewana
Eighth Grade: Hannah Stewart, Salem
Ninth Grade: Mary Batz, Williams
10th Grade: Elizabeth Miller, South Whitley
11th Grade: Danielle Sommerman, English
12th Grade: Evan Olinger, Sellersburg
Artist of the Year: Evan Olinger, $100 additional
Honorable Mention winners ($75)
Kindergarten: Ellie Sherman, Flora
First Grade: Primrose Jones, Charlestown
Second Grade: Victoria White, Medora
Third Grade: Knox Coen, Fairland
Fourth Grade: David White, Medora
Fifth Grade: Ally Brown, South Whitley
Sixth Grade: Jeremy J. Loveras, Lebanon
Seventh Grade: Alessandra Dominguez Javier, Seymour
Eighth Grade: Heidi Kreutz, Seymour
Ninth Grade: Lauren Brewster, Portland
10th Grade: Sanchali Pothuru, Carmel
11th Grade: Kayla Florian, Morocco
12th Grade: Emmaline Zink, Winona Lake
Enter our 2022 Cooperative Calendar of Student Art Contest!