8th District Art Contest Winners

Five students from the Roanoke and New River Valleys were honored Thursday by the Virginia House of Delegates and Delegate Greg Habeeb (R-Salem) for winning artwork.

Delegate Habeeb unveiled the winning pieces of art from his 2011 8th District “Back to School” Art Contest held this past fall. The art was hung outside Delegate Habeeb’s office in the General Assembly building.

The winners were also welcomed to Richmond on the floor of the House of Delegates.

The five winners of the art contest were:

  • Garret East, the son of Malinda Walters, from Eastern Montgomery Elementary School,
  • Courtney Johnston, the daughter of Timothy and Jane Johnston, from Hidden Valley High School,
  • Serena Fick, the daughter of Dorene and Ken Fick,
  • Alexxa Forrester, the daughter of Arlene Forrester-Lafon and Jason Dudding, from Craig County Middle School,
  • And Willow Pope, the daughter of Sharon and Curtis Pope, from Fort Lewis Elementary Schoo

“I am so very proud of each one of these students,” said Delegate Habeeb. “Their artwork captures the theme of our contest and presents the beauty of Virginia in many different forms. It was such a pleasure to meet these young people. I hope that more students will begin to see the value of creativity and expression.

Habeeb presented each winner with a certificate and took pictures with friends and family in attendance.

“I want to thank these parents for making the trip to Richmond for this presentation. I also want to thank the Principals and Teachers who helped encourage these students to participate and who are nurturing our young people,” said Habeeb.

The art contest was initially launched in August of 2011 and closed in November. It was open to all students from the 8th District.

“We will definitely be doing this contest every year,” said Habeeb. “The enthusiastic response we got from teachers, parents and students has made this one of the best experiences I have had in representing the 8th District. I look forward to seeing more of the artwork that future students present.”

The winners were also introduced on the floor of the Virginia House of Delegates.