Six students from DeSoto County Schools are among the winners in Mississippi Secretary of State Michael Watson’s 2020 Promote The Vote Art and Essay Contest.
Promoted by the Secretary of State’s office and Mississippi Public Broadcasting, the contest was used to encourage voter participation using art submissions and essays on a specific theme related to voting by school students throughout Mississippi, public and private.
This year’s theme was “The Future of My Vote.”
The program has been an annual effort by the Secretary of State’s Office to provide awareness and understanding of elections and the governmental process.
More than 1.5 million Mississippi students have participated in this free program since the inception in 1996.
Art contest winners this year included Olive Branch Intermediate School student Maci Benson, a first-place winner in the grade 3-5 division.
In the essay contest, DeSoto Central High School student Ryan Crosby won second place and Aminata Ba, also of DeSoto Central, won third place in the grade 9-10 division. Another DeSoto Central High School student, Isabella Lozano, was named honorable mention.
Among grades 11-12, Anthony Rainey of Horn Lake High won second place, followed by Katelyn Gatewood, also of Horn Lake High, who won third place.
The complete list of winners is found on the Secretary of State’s website. Winners are being recognized in Jackson on Tuesday, April 20.
