Most people only dream of seeing their artwork featured on trucks, buildings, and official documents. But for a middle-schooler in Hillsdale County, that dream will become a reality — thanks to the Hillsdale County Road Commission, which has never had an official logo and is inviting local 5th to 8th graders to design one.
“We thought it would be cool to incorporate the community as kind of a way to give back to the them,” said Heather Boyd, engineer technician for the commission, who came up with the rules for the contest. She added that the commission wants to give students a sense of pride.
“How cool is it to be the kid who can say, ‘I designed that logo’?” she said.
The designs must incorporate the history of the commission and of Hillsdale County, Boyd said, and students are required to submit essays explaining their entries. They can work alone or in groups and must submit their designs before March 31.
After the deadline, Boyd said, the commission’s officials will select a few favorite designs, which will then be posted on Facebook for public voting on April 15. Whichever design receives the most “likes” wins the contest.
“The main thing we wanted to push for is recognition,” Boyd said, noting that there is no monetary award. She said the commission is considering putting the winner’s name on a plaque.
Boyd explained that middle schoolers are just the right age group: old enough to produce quality work, but young enough that they wouldn’t have access to graphic design machinery that might give some students an advantage.
“Hillsdale County is for the most part a rural county, and some schools might not have the opportunities that larger schools do,” Boyd said. “If we did high school, some schools might have the advantage of computerized equipment. It’s going to be a little bit more fair across the board in middle school.”
Boyd said most schools in the area have expressed interest in participating, and teachers are excited about the project because it integrates multiple subjects. George Bauman, the headmaster of Hillsdale Preparatory School, said this was part of the reason he wanted to do it.
“I presented the opportunity to the faculty as a chance to do cross-curricular work,” Bauman said. “Kids don’t learn in a vacuum.”
Bauman said about ten students from Hillsdale Preparatory are working on designs for the contest.
“I like that the contest requires the kids to incorporate county history,” he said. “It requires them to do research they might not otherwise do.”
Lorie Dickinson, the art teacher at Hillsdale Preparatory, said her students have been working on the logo project in her art class. First, she said, she asked them to draw logos representing themselves.
“Then we looked at logos around us,” she said. By studying logos, students are forced to think more closely about line, color, shape, design, and pattern, she said.
Dickinson said the contest has been a good way for students to learn more about the commission, noting that her class took time to discuss what it does for the county.
The contest offers not only an artistic challenge but also an opportunity to give, she said.
“It’s good for the students to be able to contribute their talents in the community,” she said.
Bauman agreed the contest presents students with a one-of-a-kind opportunity.
“No matter who wins this, if you have a school student who designs a county logo, that’s something pretty unique and special,” he said. “That logo will be immensely visible in this community.”