Congratulations to two of our Rockford Elementary Arts Magnet School (REAMS) students who are both winners in the age six to nine category in the International Aviation Art Contest. Avery Nelson winning second place and Frannie Wachholz winning third place.  More information about the contest can be found on the Minnesota Department of Transportation Aviation webpage.

From Brenda Nyhus, Principal, Rockford Elementary Arts Magnet School

On December 17, 1903, Orville Wright piloted the first powered airplane 20 feet above a wind-swept beach in North Carolina. The flight lasted 12 seconds and covered 120 feet. Three more flights were made that day with Orville’s brother Wilbur piloting the record flight which lasted 59 seconds over a distance of 852 feet. Today, we think nothing of jumping a flight to our favorite get-away destination or to see family and friends who may live a significant distance away. Students at Rockford Elementary Arts Magnet School have taken flight to a new level by creating artwork around an annual theme in aviation.

REAMS students have created a strong history connecting aviation and art. Each year, the Minnesota Department of Transportation’s Office of Aeronautics sponsors an International Aviation Art Contest for Minnesota students ages six to seventeen. The contest has a different theme annually, focusing on the various forms of flight with over 1,000 entries submitted from schools across Minnesota. Students tap into their imagination and create a poster around the theme. REAMS has had winners in this contest every year since 2002.

“Flight into the Future” was the theme of the 2018 contest, and students were to create a poster using their imagination thinking of ways that flight may occur in the future. History shows that ideas to improve aviation have been put on paper, made into models, and today are tested on computers. Flight has changed a great deal from the first planes that were slow and sluggish to the all too common drone in the sky. Each generation brings a different passion for flight and blends new technologies and ideas to build on the knowledge of the past.

Rockford Elementary Arts Magnet School is so proud to have two winners again this year. Both winners come from the age six to nine category. Avery Nelson winning second place and Frannie Wachholz winning third place. Their art teacher, Cheri Weber, has worked with students annually on this contest and has encouraged her students to use their artistic talents in and out of the art room. REAMS has an entire wall of the permanent art collection dedicated to this contest and the winners. We are SO proud to add two more pieces to this growing collection! 

Two REAMS Students Are Aviation Contest Winners