Saline Library Display Recognizes Area High School Students

Visitors to the Saline Library are being greeted by a display of ten posters from the “Get Out the Vote 2018” contest sponsored by the League of Women Voters. The League, a non-partisan political organization encouraging informed and active participation in government, invited area high school students to use their creativity to persuade others to vote. They received 103 entries from eight schools.

“The contest was designed to let students know that they not only have the power to vote, but they can influence other voters to go to the polls,” said Nan Elder, organizer of the contest for the League of Women Voters. "

The posters, which were required to be nonpartisan, were judged on the strength of the message, graphic impact, and power of persuasion. The League of Women Voters recruited independent judges from the area who judged the posters on their merits, without knowing who had submitted the poster or what school they attended.

Judges were Andrea Cardinal, Toledo, business owner, art lecturer at UofM Deborah Golden, Ann Arbor, artist and teacher Carey Jernigan, Ann Arbor, VP of marketing agency re:group Linette Lao, Ypsilanti, graphic designer, business owner, instructor at EMU Steve Rodriguez. Ann Abor, retired Pioneer High School coach. "I appreciated the variety of work," said judge Carey Jernigan, "and seeing the perspective of different students about democracy."

Jack Weddell of Ann Arbor's Pioneer High School took first place and earned the top $500 prize with his colorful, creative poster with the message, "Your Vote, Your Voice. Don't be Silenced." "I have a lot of faith in kids today," said Weddell's teacher, Helen Bunch. "They have a sense of fairness and equity. This was a powerful project."

Bunch was also the teacher of second-place winner Morgan Knox, who received $250 for her efforts. "As a democracy, we have all types of people," Knox said. "I wanted to put them in my poster to represent what America is."

The third-place poster ($100) was created by Saline High School student Anna LeChard, whose teacher was Adam Rodriguez.

Seven of the 104 students who submitted posters were awarded honorable mentions and a $50 prize. Their teachers were also recognized. Faith Wesorick, an honorable mention winner attending Dexter High School, said "I wanted to show how we can use voting to express our identity and values."

Honorable mentions were: Trenton Brann, Huron High School; Skylar Clouse, Ypsilanti High School; Emma Dunn, Dexter High School; Sarah Odumodu, Pioneer High School; Danielle Waidley, Dexter High School; Faith Wesorick, Dexter High School; Theodore Keeling, Pioneer High School

You can see a video of all the entries at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UcQc1YezHLk&t=212s

Copies of the winning posters will be put up around Washtenaw County in the weeks just before the November election and will be seen on over 100 AATA buses..