Winners of the Clarke County School District’s 2025 Martin Luther King Jr. Writing and Art Contest pose in the CCSD Board of Education Administrative Offices on Jan. 15. CCSD Fine Arts, Health and Physical Education Curriculum Coordinator Dr. Dan Smith, who helped coordinate the contest, emphasized the long-standing role this event has played in the district. “This is a great opportunity that we get to do this every year. I’ve been in CCSD since 2005, and I can’t remember a time when this didn’t happen. I was a teacher previously, so I had my students participate in it. My kids have participated as well, and I’m glad we get to keep doing it.” Photo courtesy of Scott Thompson
The CCSD Board of Education recognized winners of the 2025 districtwide Martin Luther King Jr. Writing and Art Contest during its Jan. 15 meeting.
Winners of the 2025 Martin Luther King Jr. Writing and Art Contest, who created artwork and writing inspired by this year’s theme, “My Dream: Our Future,” were recognized by the Clarke County School District Board of Education during its Jan. 15 meeting.
The annual contest invites K-12 students across the district to reflect on King’s legacy as a civil rights activist through writing and visual art pieces. Every school selects a winner in both the art and writing contests, who then advance to the district selection, where they become eligible for districtwide recognition.
“This contest really allows our students to dig into their thoughts and think about the impact of Dr. King and his teachings, rather than just learning rote facts,” CCSD Executive Director of Public Relations and Communications Dr. Cyndee Moore said. “I see more students taking the meaning and spirit of what Dr. King talked about to heart, and thinking about how they can work to make the world a better place and continue his dream.”
A slide displaying the winners of the 2025 Clarke County School District Martin Luther King Jr. Writing and Art Contest is shown. CCSD Executive Director of Public Relations and Communications Dr. Cyndee Moore viewed the CCSD Board of Education’s district recognition of the contest winners as an affirmation of the students’ creativity and effort. “Over the last four years that I’ve been here, I’ve seen (the contest) grow each year, (both) in participation and in the quality of the work that students produce,” Moore said. “It’s a wonderful time for students to see how their work is admired beyond their schools.” PDF courtesy of the CCSD
High school art second-place winner Anneliese Carson, a Clarke Central High School freshman, created a hollow cardboard sculpture depicting a talking head symbolizing peace, dreams, and future visions. Carson created the piece in CCHS fine arts department teacher Laura D’Huyvetter’s Sculpture I class in the first semester of the 2025-26 school year.
“At first, I didn’t think I would get second place or anything,” Carson said. “I thought I was just doing this (contest) because I was in art class, but now I’m really glad I did, and it was a really fun experience.”
“I see more students taking the meaning and spirit of what Dr. King talked about to heart, and thinking about how they can work to make the world a better place and continue his dream.”
— Dr. Cyndee Moore,
CCSD Executive Director of Public Relations and Communications Dr. Cyndee Moore
CCSD Fine Arts, Health and Physical Education Curriculum Coordinator Dr. Dan Smith coordinates the art portion of the MLK Writing and Art Contest and has seen how publicly displaying student artwork through the district’s outreach allows participants to share their creative work with a broader audience.
“The video that comes out and the way the work is shared through newsletters and social media is awesome, because the kids are pictured with their artwork,” Smith said. “Some of what they’ve written is really touching, and it’s a great opportunity for students to see their work appreciated by the public.”
