Two Winston-Salem/Forsyth County students won a national art contest in honor of America’s 250th birthday.
It's called America's Field Trip, and it's sponsored by America250, the official entity charged by Congress with planning the nation’s Semiquincentennial.
There were 125 first-place winners from across the country. Two were 8th graders from Hanes Magnet Middle School.
Their social studies teacher, Jillian Mors, made entering the contest an assignment.
“Knowing that something that happened in my class inspired them to be able to do something of that magnitude was just amazing," she said.
The prompt was “What does America mean to you?”
Annika Puwanant, 14, created a collage. She included some classic American imagery — stars and stripes, the Statue of Liberty, and a hamburger.
She also drew a red cardinal and dogwood flower to represent North Carolina. These bright, colorful images are layered over newspaper clippings.
“I tried to represent a darker side of America currently, such as natural disasters, political issues, in a way that didn't take away from the beauty of America itself, but it's still an underlying issue," Puwanant said.
She also included three words: “Change,” “Love” and “Freedom.”
“That's what America should be, right? It should be about love, freedom and change, and how we change for the better, and love and accept others," she said.
Ahalya Johnston’s piece resembles the American flag. Within the red stripes are the words from Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I have a dream” speech. Over that, she drew protesters fighting for racial equality, women’s suffrage and immigrant rights.
“I'm a Black woman, and my dad is an immigrant, and a large side of my mom's family are immigrants too," Johnston said. "So, those are all things that relate to me as a person.”
Johnston thought about those who paved the way for the opportunities she has now. That’s what she wants others who see her art to think about too.
“I want them to realize that there are people that have worked hard for what they often take for granted now, and that they should keep working hard to keep what they have, so that it doesn't get taken away," Johnston said.
Along the side of her piece, she wrote: “America is the country you fight for.”
Puwanant and Johnston won field trips to explore the history of Boston and New Orleans, respectively.