Why Bother?

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"Why bother if I'm not going to win?" This is a phrase we have heard in the art room recently. Thunder and Lightning students are finishing their entries to, The Graceful Envelope Contest.  

This contest is run by the Washington (DC) Calligraphers Guild and the National Association of Letter Carriers. The challenge is to transform an envelope into a work of art incorporating this year’s theme. Age category winners are chosen based on creative interpretation of the theme, artistic hand lettering, and effective use of color and design, including incorporation of the postage stamp.


This year's theme celebrates the 25th anniversary of the Graceful Envelope Contest and the 125th anniversary of US commemorative stamps. The students could choose anything of their choosing to commemorate. They researched many significant anniversaries happening in 2019: 150 years of professional baseball, 75 years since the D-Day landings, the 50th anniversary of the moon landing, and 30 years since the first broadcast of The Simpsons cartoon! 

But working to a design brief is hard. 
Students struggled in their research to find an anniversary they connected with.
They resisted the limits set by the judges.
They grew weary of drafting improvements to their design. 
This project required determination and perseverance in addition to creative expression and craftsmanship. 

We won't know the winners until June and we can never tell who, if anyone, from Mustard Seed will have created a winning entry. Each year we're surprised by the choice of the judges.

So, while your child's envelope may not be chosen as a winning entry, my hope is that every child will create the best entry they are capable of making and find the value of perseverance.

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