Porter Announces the Winners of 2008 Congressional Art Competition
May 13, 2008
Henderson, NV- Congressman Porter announced the winners of the 2008 Congressional Art Competition yesterday evening. This nationwide art competition began in the United States House of Representative in 1982 and serves as an opportunity for Members of Congress to showcase the artistic talents of high school students within their districts.
Over 98 participants in Nevada’s Third Congressional District submitted entries last spring. The 2008 award recipients include first place winner, Kelsey Anderson from Green Valley High School, second place winner, Jessica Baal from Centennial High School and third place winner, Megan Polidan of Coronado High School.
Ranya Asmar and Kelsie Bashaw of Coronado High School and Spring Valley High School students, Ramy Lam and Joe Murphy all received honorable mentions.
“This is an outstanding opportunity for young people to demonstrate the homegrown talent we have right here in Nevada,” Porter said. “This year’s competition attracted an unprecedented amount of participation from seven different schools making the judges’ decisions extremely difficult. Additional thanks go to Ms. Bridgette Bilbray-Phillips, Director of the School-Community Partnership Program for the Clark County school district and her office for their assistance with this event.”
Each of the winning pieces was framed by Nevada Power Company and will be sent to Washington, D.C. to become part of a year long exhibit in the nation’s capitol. To commemorate the event, Embarq hosted a formal reception for all participating students on May 12, 2008.
In addition, Southwest Airlines has generously provided three round-trip airline tickets for the first place winner and two family members to travel to Washington, D.C. to attend the ribbon-cutting ceremony for the 2008 Artistic Discovery Exhibit on June 25, 2008.
