City Honors Elementary School Students

Congratulations to all of the honorees from the City of Savannah's Elementary School Art Competition! Such talent we have in our community!

Mayor Eddie DeLoach and members of City Council on Wednesday honored some of Savannah’s talented young artists during an awards ceremony at City Hall for the winners of the City’s 2016 Elementary School Art Competition.

Winners will have their art hung in City Hall and other City facilities through the end of the year, and received art supplies and other keepsakes from the City from the Mayor and Alderman Bill Durrence during the ceremony.

“City Hall was built in 1905 to serve and be enjoyed by the people of Savannah,” Mayor DeLoach said. “I can think of nothing better to hang in this beautiful space than these works of art created by the future professionals and leaders of our community.”

The competition was open to all Chatham County elementary school children, who were judged on how their art best represented our National Historic Landmark District, which was designated 50 years ago this year.

“Today is our opportunity to say thank you to these students, and show off all their beautiful art work, while honoring our unique Historic District during this special anniversary,” said Luciana Spracher, Director of the City’s Research Library and Municipal Archives, and one of the organizers of the competition.

Nearly 300 submissions were received from both public and private schools. A total of 43 pieces were selected to be exhibited in City Hall and in the Midtown Municipal Building between July and December 2016. The winning artwork features buildings, streets, squares and parks, the riverfront, and monuments, and is in a variety of media including watercolor, pen and ink, pencil, acrylics, and photography.

Elementary School Art Competition winners, selected by the judges as best representing our National Historic Landmark District in celebration of its 50th anniversary, are:

• For 1st Grade: Thomas Sottile, Veritas Academy, “IPC by Tommy” • For 2nd Grade: Lilyan Kathryn Funk, Veritas Academy, “Independent Presbyterian Church” • For 3rd Grade: Liza Swan, Hancock Day School, “Mikveh Israel Temple” • For 4th Grade: Patricia Inga, Garden City Elementary School, “River Dream House” • For 5th Grade: Mason Howington, Savannah Country Day School, “City Hall” • Honorable Mention: Emilia Maria Hickman, Jacob G. Smith Elementary School, 3rd grade, “Savannah Photograph Fun” • Honorable Mention: Simmons Key, The Habersham School, 4th grade, “The Paper of Many Pictures” • Honorable Mention: Ellie Neil, Savannah Country Day School, 5th grade, “Madison Square” • Best in Show: Phoebe Lynch, Hancock Day School, 3rd grade, “Forsyth Fountain”