SOUTH WHITLEY – Since 1998, Indiana Connection and participating Indiana electric cooperatives have held an annual art contest for Indiana students in kindergarten through 12th grade.

    Cassidy Skinner received an honorable mention for her autumn owl piece “A Change of Equinoxes.“ Photo Provided
  

The contest provides young Hoosier artists a unique opportunity to express themselves and develop their artistic talent while possibly earning cash prizes and statewide acclaim, according to a news release from Whitko Schools. Each of the numbered grades is given the corresponding month of the year to illustrate: 12 grades, 12 months. It’s a perfect combination. Kindergartners are assigned the cover each year.
The winning works from each grade are then used to illustrate the Cooperative Calendar of Student Art that participating REMCs/RECs have distributed.
The Indiana Electric Cooperatives recently judged the student art contest which will illustrate the 2024 Cooperative Calendar of Student Art. The contest is statewide, artworks from all over Indiana were entered into the contest, according to the release.
Whitko High School art students have had at least one winner every year since 2001 appear in the state calendar. This year, that longest standing tradition from any school in the state is continued once again. WHS art students continued a successful tradition this year, receiving several top honors; a best of show, three first-place winners and two honorable mentions.

    Justine Ocken received first place for 12th grade/December, for her drawing of working hands inspired by her family. Photo Provided.
  

Cassidy Skinner’s family dog, “Flower Girl,“ placed first in the 11th-grade division and will illustrate November in the 2025 calendar. Judges also selected this work as best of show. The “Artist of the Year” will be featured in Indiana Connection, Indiana’s electric co-op publication, a special feature of her. This is the second year in a row a Whitko artist has received Best of Show, Justine Ocken received this award last year.
Skinner also received an honorable mention for her autumn owl piece “A Change of Equinoxes.“ The judges said that these two works stood out among the junior entries. When they read the label and realized the same student did both pieces, despite their difference in subject matter, the judges decided to once again award both prizes to the artist.
For all three honors, Cassidy will receive $375 ($200 for first, $100 for best of show and $75 for the honorable mention).

    Mason Malicki, tutored at home, received an honorable mention in the calendar contest. Photo Provided.
  

Alena Hindbaugh received first place for 10th grade/October, for her chipmunk piece and Justine Ocken received first place for 12th grade/December, for her drawing of working hands inspired by her family. Ocken finishes with a Best of Show, three first places and two honorable mentions in her four-year high school career of competing in this contest. Both students will receive $200 and their artwork will be the cover for their grades/months. Also a senior, Katelyn Cripe received an honorable mention for her “Nutcracker,” receiving $75 and a feature in the calendar.
Whitko art teacher Daniel Malicki is proud of his students’ accomplishments and their pursuit for excellence in art year in and year out, stated the release.

    Katelyn Cripe received an honorable mention for her nutcracker. Photo Provided.
  

“This is a challenging contest to do. Only two pieces per grade level receive an award, either first or an honorable mention. For Whitko art students to win consistently is noteworthy, especially on a state level. Whitko High School art students have had at least one winner every year since 2001 appear in the state calendar. This is also the second time in our longstanding tradition that an art student has received a Best of Show Award. They will be doing a special write-up on Cassidy Skinner highlighting her artistic talents. Look forward to seeing this published in the Electric Consumer magazine.”
Malicki also has to be proud of his son, Mason, as second-grader at Northern Heights Elementary School in Columbia City. Mason, tutored at home, received an honorable mention in the calendar contest, stated the release.

    Alena Hindbaugh received first place for 10th grade/October for her chipmunk piece. Photo Provided