Published on Wednesday, Feb. 24, 2021
Provided photos
The cover of this year’s Home Telecom directory in Berkeley County will feature the work of a student from Philip Simmons High who has a love for dogs.
Eleventh-grader Julia Wood’s depiction of a Boykin Spaniel came in first place overall in the yearly local art contest for the directory cover.
“It feels amazing,” she said. “I was shocked but I was so excited.”
Eighth-grader Lucy Carver at Marrington Middle School of the Arts came in second place overall with her work, “The Misty Woods”, and first-grader Kathryn Stebbins at Bowen’s Corner Elementary took third with her piece, “Little Owl at Night”.
The three overall winners will each receive $1,000 for art supplies. Second and third-place winners throughout the district will receive $500 and $250, respectively (see results below).
Provided photos - "Little Owl at Night" by Kathryn Stebbins, and "The Misty Woods" by Lucy Carver
In addition to funding, photos of the three overall winning pieces are featured on page 15 of the directory.
Wood was encouraged by Philip Simmons High art teacher, Paige Duvall, to submit something for the contest. Wood said she participated in last year’s contest but did not win.
Wood said when she submits her work for competitions, she does it more for fun.
“I don’t have the expectation of winning or anything – I just love making it,” she said.
Caoimhe Zett, customer marketing supervisor for Home Telecom, said the company has featured students’ artwork on the directory cover since 2015. This is the seventh year Home Telecom has hosted the art contest. During a span of those years, Home Telecom has contributed $39,000 toward art supplies in BCSD.
This year, students were asked to submit pieces that reflect the lowcountry as part of the contest. Wood opted to create a photo of a Boykin Spaniel retrieving a duck from the marsh, since the Boykin Spaniel is the state dog. Wood created the image after finding a photo in a Google search.
Dogs are some of Wood’s favorite art subjects. She has already received a copy of the Home Telecom directory sporting her artwork, “The Buoyant Boykin”, on the front cover, plus a catalog for her to select art supplies with the funds she will receive.
Wood is in Art 3 this year and will be in AP Art next year. She enjoys making art pieces that she can give to other people.
“Creating anything’s fun…it’s special to do pieces that you know someone will value,” she said.
Wood was recently one of the students who participated in The Memory Project, where some of Philip Simmons High’s young artists created self-portraits for children living in group homes in Cameroon and India.
“That was really fun and you’ll know that they’ll treasure those,” she said.
Her freshman year, Wood won Best in Show at the Coastal Carolina Arts Competition and came in second place at the Trident Quest Academic Competition for Visual Arts. Her sophomore year, Wood’s artwork was chosen to represent Philip Simmons High at the Goose Creek Courthouse and also represented her school at Quest for a second year.
“Julia is a remarkable student and artist,” Duvall said.
Overall contest winners
High school level:
First place: Julia Wood – Philip Simmons High
Second place: Yasmin Maya – Cane Bay High
Third Place: Caroline McCrackin – Stratford High
Middle school level:
First place: Lucy Carver – Marrington Middle School of the Arts
Elementary school level:
First place: Kathryn Stebbins – Bowen’s Corner Elementary
Second place: Jennifer Cline – Goose Creek Elementary
Third Place: Cora Smith – Howe Hall AIMS
Honorable Mentions:
Matthew Flood – Hanahan Elementary
Wade Mazur – Philip Simmons Elementary
Farrah Martin – Marrington Elementary
Abriana Montes – Berkeley High
Abigail Whitaker – Berkeley High
