Smoke curls up from chimneys against a midnight sky, with snow-capped buildings beneath. A church steeple with a large golden bell and a star-topped Christmas tree take up the foreground, with evergreen trees lining the back of the scene.
It’s a picture-perfect holiday scene, one dreamed up by Spring ISD fifth-grader Emile Ross and submitted as part of the district’s Superintendent’s Holiday Card Contest. At Tuesday’s school board meeting, the Clark Intermediate School student took home first place in the contest.
“I feel honored,” Ross said. “I’m just blessed and excited that I got to win.”
The fifth-grader, who said his favorite class is art, got the idea for the holiday scene from YouTube, where he “just saw it, and then drew it” from the screen.
His art teacher Chari McHenry recognized his talent for art the moment she met him in the hallway of Clark Intermediate, when he handed her a picture he had drawn of a character from Marvel Comics.
“When I took a glance at the picture, I was instantly blown away,” McHenry said. “His shading ability and line work is advanced beyond his years. I memorized his name on the spot and specifically sought him out to work on a piece for the Superintendent’s Holiday Card Contest.”
While students from across the district created holiday artwork, this year’s official card contest winners were selected from Spring ISD elementary students. District campuses hosted their own card competitions, then each school submitted a pair of semi-finalists for judging in the district wide event.
“All the submissions this year were absolutely wonderful,” Superintendent Dr. Rodney Watson said. “I want to thank the staff and the teachers for your support and helping the students achieve their goal. And to the parents, thank you so much for all that you do and for entrusting your kids with us.”
The top three winners for 2021 are:
1st Place: Emile Ross, 5th grade
School: Clark Intermediate School
Teacher: Chari McHenry
2nd Place: Derek Moreno, 3rd grade
School: Burchett Elementary School
Teacher: Sheila Broderick
3rd Place: Lyric Frazier, 5th grade
School: Burchett Elementary School
Teacher: Sheila Broderick