AUGUSTA – Twenty student artists will have an audience of more than 72,000 students and teachers for their artwork starting this fall. The 20 students from across Maine have won the honor to have their artwork included in the Maine Learning Technology Initiative laptop screensaver for the 2012-13 school year.
More than 380 Maine students submitted images to be considered for the 2012-13 screensaver. Students and teachers voted on their favorites, and two of the 20 featured works were the top vote getters. An independent panel of three judges selected the other 18 pieces.
Many of the images are photographs, though several students used pencil, paint, clay and other media to create their images.
“The arts are an essential part of the student experience in Maine. The arts offer students the opportunities they need to explore their passions, discover their talents and apply their creativity,” said Education Commissioner Stephen Bowen. “I’m thrilled that we can celebrate student artwork, and wed it with technology, in this way.”
The Maine Learning Technology Initiative, or MLTI, equips all Maine seventh and eighth grade students, more than half of the state’s high school students, and all middle- and high-school teachers and administrators with Apple laptops. The devices all come with a standard set of educational software and the screensaver of student artwork.
The Maine Learning Technology Initiative also provides educators with frequent professional development to help them maximize the benefits of technology in the classroom.
The screensaver contest is an annual affair that has attracted entries from more than 1,000 students during its four-year history. The winning students will receive free registration to attend the 2012 MLTI Student Conference this spring at the University of Maine in Orono.
The winners are listed below. Their artwork is available for viewing at: http://www.maine.gov/mlti/about/photos.shtml.
- “Put Out the Fire” by Margaret Robe, Waterville Senior High School, Grade 12
- “Deep Space” by TomHenry Reagan, Middle School of the Kennebunks, Grade 8
- “Haze” by Alexa Bonsey, Mount Desert Island High School, Grade 11
- “Array of Colors” by Emma Soucek, Mount Desert Island High School, Grade 10
- “Twilight River” by Olivia Correa, Dexter Regional High School, Grade 10
- “Circle Sunset” by John Norwood, Trenton Elementary School, Grade 7
- “Triceratops” by Brian Edward Williamson, Rangelely Lakes Regional School, Grade 4
- “Mix” by Flannery McAdam, Portland High School, Grade 9
- “Galloping Along the Shore” by Megan Anderson, Portland High School, Grade 11
- “Scratchboard Train Scene” by Jona Odulio, Portland High School, Grade 10
- “Paper Cut Design” by Margot Andreasen, Portland High School, Grade 9
- “Different Perspective” by Amanda Fogerty, Houlton High School, Grade 12
- “Leaves” by Ketty Stinson, Brunswick Junior High School, Grade 7
- “Emotion?” by Zanna Spinney, Kennebunk High School, Grade 9
- “Creative Keys” by Kai McGee, Westbrook Middle School, Grade 8
- “Ocean’s Edge” by Samantha Dole, Lake Region High School, Grade 12
- “Morning Mist” by Natasha Touchette, Lake Region High School, Grade 12
- “Cada Uno Es Hermoso” by Julia Mace, Tremont Elementary School, Grade 8
- “Elysium” by Kathy Truong, Memorial Middle School, Grade 8
- “Moose” by Marie Jarowicz, Kennebunk High School, Grade 10
Matthew Stone | Maine Department of Education | 207-624-6783