The MacArthur High School National Art Honor Society received a cash award from CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocate) of Southwest Oklahoma for its entry in the Blue Ribbon Buddy Contest.
For the contest, high school students paint a boy and girl wooden cutout about the size of a toddler and dress it in toddler clothes. Businesses and organizations then display the cutouts to bring awareness to CASA, which is a child advocacy organization for abused or neglected children moving through the court system.
Each boy and girl are painted and dressed to reflect the community, according to MHS ceramics teacher Jackie Harmon. As a group, club members decide on the ethnicity of the boy and girl and on their features and accessories. Once the “children” are made, voting is held online to determine the best boy and girl. MHS won for the best girl, which was based on a Native American. The MHS boy was based on Brazil.
Once the cutouts were made, it was time to go shopping.
“It was fun,” Kaionna Hart-Jennings, club president, said of the project. “It was strange shopping for clothes and trying to match an outfit.”
Jacob Wright, club vice president, said students volunteered to work on the project after school.
“I think it was a very good way to build teamwork. Everyone worked together,” he said.
Harmon said the funds will be used for art supplies.