Lee County senior takes top honors in Albany-Dougherty Kiwanis Art Contest

ALBANY — Lee County High School senior Bentley Saville’s artwork earned Best in Show recognition in the 2022 Albany-Dougherty Kiwanis Club Student Art Contest.

Saville’s entry took top honors over second-place finisher Tania Lamar of Westover High School, and third-place recipient Tristan Hatfield of the Southwest Georgia Home School Association in the annual competition that was begun four decades ago.

The winners of the 2022 Student Art Contest were announced in a ceremony recently at the Albany Museum of Art.

The annual contest was begun some 40 years ago under the sponsorship of the Kiwanis Club of Dougherty County. In October of last year, the Dougherty club merged with the Albany Kiwanis Club, so this was the competition’s first year under the aegis of the Albany-Dougherty Kiwanis Club.

Winners of first-, second- and third-place ribbons in sixth-12th grades were announced. They were:

Sixth Grade: First place, Olivia Allen, Deerfield Middle School; second place, Lucas O’Neal, Lee Middle School East; third place, Jayla Hutchison, Robert Cross Middle School; honorable mentions, Leslie Pinzon, Lee Middle East, and Evan Kunkle, Deerfield Middle.

Seventh Grade: First place, Ja’Nayah Andrews, Radium Middle School; second place, Zairia Demetrius, Radium Middle; third place, Brooklyn Ivey, Deerfield Middle; honorable mentions, Cohen Collier, Lee Middle School West, and Ja’Nayah Andrews, Radium Middle.

Eighth Grade: First place, Molly Starr, Deerfield Middle; second place, Lealoni Scott, Radium Middle; third place, Janae King, Lee Middle West; honorable mentions, Taneisha Preston, Radium Middle, and Olivia Brown, Lee Middle East.

Ninth Grade: First place, Charlyn Fox, Westover High School; second place, Dayla Lewis, Westover High; third place, Charlyn Fox, Westover High; honorable mentions, Jayla McCrary, Dougherty High, and Daisey Alba, Dougherty High.

Tenth Grade: First place, Laken Darley, Lee County High; second place, Javon Boyd, Dougherty High; third place, Laken Darley, Lee County High; honorable mentions, Jerlisa Myles, Westover High; Acillia Roberts, Dougherty High; and Collier Savella, Lee County High.

Eleventh Grade: First place, Tyler Miller, Dougherty High; second place, A.J. Mathews, Lee County High; third place, Jada Rogers, Westover High; honorable mention, Willie Harris, Monroe High School.

Twelfth Grade: First place, Yaz Johnson, Westover High; second place, Bentley Saville, Lee County High; third place, Richard Williams, Westover High; honorable mentions, Savannah Peros, St. Teresa’s Catholic School; Said Lopez, Dougherty High; and De’Jon Young, Dougherty High.

Also announced were “Schools of Distinction,” an honor determined by points awarded on the basis of number of students entered and place finishes. This year the recognitions went to Radium Springs Middle School and Westover High School.

The first-place finishers at each grade level now go on to compete in the Georgia Kiwanis District Art Contest slated for April 23 at Riverside Military Academy in Gainesville. All the winning art will remain on display in the art museum’s Harry & Jane Willson Auditorium through the end of March for the public to view during the facility’s operating hours. Admission to the museum is free of charge.

Special Photo: David Shivers