Honorable Mention - High School
Stillwater Jr. High School, Stillwater

This Is My Town: Stillwater Oklahoma

We had no idea where to start when beginning this collage. Stillwater has many aspects such as the college atmosphere, the high school, and the place where Oklahoma began. Finally we decided that we would try to capture each aspect of Stillwater in the ways we live, learn, work and play, just like the theme suggested. We took most all of the pictures of Stillwater ourselves as we drove around town, trying to capture frequent hangouts as well as historical landmarks. We also found pictures of Stillwater in the olden days. We tried to take pictures of these locations in modern times and place them near each other on the collage so you can see how far our town has come as well as the rich heritage that still exists.

As far as the actual construction of the collage, we wanted to bring in some 3D effects that tricked the eye and gave visual appeal. We decided to use wooden letters that spelled out the five words in the theme: live, learn, work, pray, and play. We attached the words to the collage, each with a different arrangement. To add more interest, we decided to add the 3D Oklahoma element. We searched for a map, then enlarged the photo and cut it out of a piece of plywood.

In order to trick the eye we needed to attach the pictures in a unique way. We decided to attach the picture on the faces of the letters but not the sides. Instead, on the sides, we attached brightly colored tissue paper that we cut into small squares to look like confetti. We also attached the confetti-like tissue paper onto the Oklahoma. The tissue paper brought a celebration aspect to our collage.

This was highly appropriate considering the efforts put forth by Oklahoma State University Athletics this year. The football team went to a bowl game, the basketball team is in the Final Four and the wrestlers won another national championship. OSU is such a huge part of this community. I don't know how you could live in Stillwater without having at least a little bit of Cowboy in you. Oklahoma State certainly has had a tremendous effect on how our community has developed. Not only has the athletic aspect of OSU affected our people, but the academic and social aspects as well. So many of the people in Stillwater have some connection with OSU, whether it be as an employee or student. OSU fuels the coming of new people to Stillwater which adds to our growth as a city. The university took place on our collage as a place that we play, live and learn.

Stillwater High School, the home of the Pioneers, is the center of our youth community. Stillwater High is gifted at athletic and intellectual endeavors and teaches young people like ourselves what we need to survive in the real world. This year a new gym and performing arts center was constructed at the high school. Both parts made us feel more at home in the 6A class of schools. We have great facilities today, but we also showed some of the buildings that have been used to teach our Stillwater students in the past. The Lincoln Building, The Community Center and a portion of the public library were all used as school buildings in our history.

Stillwater is also a great social city. With so many college students around we definitely need somewhere to shop, eat and hang out. Stillwater is famous for the Fab Four: Eskimo Joe's, Mexico Joe's, Joseppi's, and Stillwater Bay. The Hideaway also originated right here in Stillwater. Boomer Lake is a great natural hangout. You can also check out downtown for some great little boutiques.

We also have a lot of religious diversity in Stillwater. There are many different churches here and we could have done a whole other collage on just this subject. We showed pictures of old churches and new ones. Not to mention the great architecture these buildings have.

There is so much we are proud of in our city. It's where we were born and raised and where we will keep all of our childhood memories.

In our collage we tried to tie together all these wonderful aspects of our town into a creative and interesting work of art. Our collage has elements that trick the eye and give it flair, all the while showing you what Stillwater Oklahoma is all about. We have put our heart and soul into the collage to give everyone a unique idea about where we come from. This is my town...Stillwater, Oklahoma.