Next time you are waiting for the bus in the City of San Diego, take a second look to your left and to your right. The colorful and innovative artwork on the bus shelters are courtesy of East Village High School junior Jon Harper, one of the three grand prize winners of the 14th Annual Laptop Scholarship Contest sponsored by MTS, Coca-Cola Refreshments of San Diego, and the San Diego County Office of Education.
More than 165 students from 53 different high schools entered the contest, and 40 students were awarded with laptops. Five more winners from East Village High School & Brandon Covarrubias, Karina Farias, Elisabeth Garcia, Jonathan Garcia-Ramirez, and Valeria Montemayor & were also honored. All winners received a brand-new Dell-Insprion laptop as well as a $50 Best Buy gift card.
Jon's artwork features a boy with binoculars looking at a map of the city and the headline "Explore Our City." His art will be up through the month of June.
"The image just popped into my head while brainstorming, and I went with it," Jon said. "I feel very honored for my artwork to win first prize."
The contest required students to come up with an advertising campaign to promote MTS to potential bus and/or Trolley riders, write a one to two-page summary identifying their target audience, message strategy, and design inspiration, and create an original poster ad design either hand-drawn or digital.
The contest not only provided the opportunity for students to apply critical and creative thinking skills but also recognize professional real world applications.
"The project was especially meaningful, as most of East Village High students utilize the Metropolitan Transportation System daily so they felt their perspectives were as genuine as you could get," said Caitlin Black, Jon's art teacher at East Village High.
Students used complex problem solving skills to create unique artistic interpretations and discovered the world of marketing and advertising.
Jon participates in East Village High's dual enrollment program. East Village High offers students the chance to earn a high school diploma and up to two years of college credit through San Diego City College as part of the dual enrollment program. The only high school of its kind in San Diego Unified School District, students begin their course of study in the 9th grade in small classes on the East Village High campus and by the 11th grade start college classes on the City College campus. All college credits and books are provided to the students at no cost.
Jon will return to East Village High in the fall and continue taking classes at City College. He plans to major in film when he attends college.