Moultrie Fifth Grader Takes Second Place in State Manufacturing Art Contest
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Quan Singletary, a fifth grader from Moultrie, found himself at the intersection of art and manufacturing – and onstage with Georgia’s chief operating officer, Jim Lientz – this week.
Singletary took second place in the placemat category of the 2009 Manufacturing Appreciation Week (MAW) student design contest. He received a $300 scholarship check, presented by Lientz at the MAW awards luncheon held Thursday at the Cobb Galleria in Atlanta.
Moultrie Technical College (MTC) leads the local version of the contest collecting artwork from elementary, middle and high school students each year. Students draw and color original pictures representing the manufacturing industry in Colquitt County and throughout the southwest Georgia region. All entries are then submitted to the state contest.
Singletary, who attends R.B. Wright Elementary School, said his inspiration came from his family. “My mom and dad both worked for local manufacturers,” he said. “And my dad’s company makes trailers for people to stay in, so I wanted to show that.”
Students from around the state submitted design entries featuring Georgia manufacturers and their products. The three design categories were placemat (elementary school), poster (middle school) and t-shirt (high school).
MTC Marketing and Public Relations Director Jana Wiggins added, “Quan competed with close to 1,000 elementary school students statewide for his prize. His win was the first for Colquitt County in about seven years since R.B. Wright Elementary student Michael Lawson won first place for his design. We are so proud to have Quan represent Colquitt County, Moultrie Tech and the Colquitt County School System. But probably the most rewarding part of his win has been witnessing the support he has received from the students, teachers and administrators at R.B. Wright. Along with his family, they have been his biggest encouragers and cheerleaders.”
He was accompanied at the event by his mother Angela Coates, MTC President Tina Anderson, MTC Vice President of Economic Development Shawn Utley, MTC Executive Vice President Jim Glass, MTC Coordinator of Business and Industry Services Katie Harrison, RAMP Project Manager Kelly Weeks and RAMP Assistant Lauren Pope.
The awards luncheon is the highlight of MAW, celebrated this year April 13-17. Co-hosted by the Technical College System of Georgia and the Georgia Department of Economic Development, MAW brings attention to this significant component of Georgia’s economy.
According to Gov. Sonny Perdue’s proclamation declaring Manufacturing Appreciation Week, nearly 10,000 manufacturing facilities are located in Georgia. They provide 430,198 jobs, contributing more than $100 billion to the state’s economy each year.
This is the 15th year celebrating Manufacturing Appreciation Week in Georgia. This year’s sponsors include AT&T; BB&T; Georgia Power; the Georgia Tech Enterprise Innovation Institute; Habif, Arogeti & Wynne; and Pattillo. Georgia Public Broadcasting’s Richard Warner served as master of ceremonies at the awards luncheon.
