The Reporter helps Hamilton Heights cultivate success
By STU CLAMPITT
news@readthereporter.com
As is now true one week of each month, the tops of our first three pages are a little different. Our thanks go out to some talented young artists at Hamilton Heights Middle School, an art teacher who wants students to succeed, and a group of sponsors who jumped at the chance to support these young people.
At the top of the front page of every newspaper is the name of the publication and some branding known as “the flag.” It is also called the nameplate. Some people like to refer to it as the masthead. We have gone to great lengths to perfect ours, and while there may be another newspaper out there that would be willing to give that up to support young artists, we’ve never heard of it.
Without further ado (drumroll please), our May 2024 Young Artist of the Month award winners are: Ariel Allwardt (Page A1), Taylor Russell (Page A2) and Jackson Getchell (Page A3) from Erin Goodman’s art classes at Hamilton Heights Middle School.
There used to be a television commercial for Indiana Beach with a cartoon crow who said, “there is more than corn in Indiana.” Fifth-grader Ariel Allwardt clearly disagrees, as you see at the top of Page A1.
On Page A2, eight-grader Taylor Russell may have been referencing Morse Lake in this night image of a wooden dock.
Sixth-grader Jackson Getchell left the real world aside and gave us a delightful abstract design for the top of Page A3.
Their artwork will grace the pages of The Reporter in print and online all week long.
Reporter Editorial Cartoonist Tim Campbell gives a check to Hamilton Heights Middle School art teacher Erin Goodman. (Photo provided)
When we explained to potential sponsors that we were willing to give our flag away to showcase student artwork, the support was incredible. That support has grown a little each month as individuals have chipped in to help keep this contest going.
Gaylor Electric, Tom Wood Volkswagen Noblesville, Adler Attorneys, and two private citizens – Bill Miller and Emily Pearson – are the sponsors who showed us their commitment to local artists this month by opening their checkbooks so these kids can have the time in the limelight they deserve.
In addition to having their artwork at the top of the page in Hamilton County’s Hometown Newspaper, each of these students received a framed certificate from The Reporter, signed and presented by Editorial Cartoonist Tim Campbell. They each received a gift certificate from Hobby Lobby so their parents can take them to pick out more art supplies, and a gift certificate from Bien Mexicana, 150 S. Peru St., Cicero, to go celebrate a little.
Our sponsors even allowed us to write a check to the school, which will go to Erin Goodman’s art class.