Shining a light on young artists

Works from three Heights Middle Schoolers featured in this week’s pages

By STU CLAMPITT
news@readthereporter.com

As is now true the second 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 April 2024 Young Artist of the Month award winners are: Sydney Forrestal (Page A1), Victoria Conner (Page A2) and Zeke Kikta (Page A3) from Erin Goodman’s fifth-grade art class at Hamilton Heights Middle School.

This month’s art contest winners are (from left) Victoria Conner, second place; Sydney Forrestal, first place; and Zeke Kikta, third place. (Photo provided)

It is clear to us that all these kids (or maybe their teacher) had spring break in mind this time around. On Page A1 we have a self-portrait of someone dreaming of time on the beach. On Page A2 we have a beach at sunset.

And then there is Page A3.

We can neither confirm nor deny rumors of UFO sightings in northern Hamilton County, but we do like your imagination, kid. That is the submission that locked in our “shining a light” headline this month. It’s not a beach at noon. It’s not a beach at sunset. But that cow in the anti-gravity beam is definitely seeing the light!

Goodman has some talent in her care. We trust she will cultivate it well.

Their artwork will grace the pages of The Reporter in print and online all week long.

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 three private citizens – Peggy Georgi, 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.

Reporter Editorial Cartoonist Tim Campbell gives a check to Hamilton Heights Middle School art teacher Erin Goodman. (Photo provided)

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.