Amazing art highlights EH consumer science contest

As has been the case for the past many years, the trio of seventh- and eighth-grade girls from Wise, Mt. Hope and Chestnut Ridge schools gathered together at Chestnut Ridge on Thursday, Nov. 2 to participate in the annual miniature dream bedroom contest for the eighth-graders and a MyPlate poster contest for the seventh-graders.

The dream bedroom contest is continually a highlight for the eighth-graders, allowing them to explore the principles of design, color schemes, floor plans and furniture, only in miniature form.

The eighth-grade boys from the woodworking classes are assigned randomly to work with each girl, taking the blueprints for the box and one main piece of furniture and crafting them to her specifications.

The girls then set forth on a challenging task to decorate their box and put their own flair on it.

“The girls worked really hard on their projects and once again brought their A-game to the show,” said Janna Mast, Chestnut Ridge consumer science teacher. “The colors this year were very neutral with not as many blues as in prior years. The girls know what is trending in fashion and colors, and they are always thinking of creative new ways to enhance their projects.”

The winners of the bedroom contest were overall winner Hadassah Troyer of Chestnut Ridge, along with Amber Miller of Mt. Hope and Ellie Mullet of Chestnut Ridge.

“I had fun, and it was challenging, and I spent a lot of time on it,” Troyer said. “I liked the idea of being creative and adding some of my own personality into the bedroom.”

Individual school winners in order of finish were Amber Miller and Julitta Miller for Mt. Hope; Sandra Miller, Tina Troyer and Mary Jo Hershberger with honorable mention going to Kari Yoder in Wise; and Hadassah Troyer, Ellie Mullet and Mindy Miller with honorable mention going to Kira Coblentz at Chestnut Ridge.

This year’s bedroom contest was judged by former Chestnut Ridge secretary Anita Shetler and retired teacher Jane Mast while the poster contest was judged by Walnut Creek Mennonite secretary Wendy Grimes and Norma Schlabach, former Chestnut Ridge librarian.

The pair of bedroom judges said it never gets easier picking the winners, nor does it get tiresome admiring the work the girls put into their efforts.

“We approached this like we were looking for an Airbnb to stay at and which one would be the most inviting to us,” Shetler said. “We also looked for anything unique and eye-catching. Plus much of it comes down to how detail-oriented the girls were and how they attended to little details.”

The winning entry impressed the judges.

“It’s so cozy it just works,” Mast said of Hadassah Troyer’s bedroom suite. “She didn’t overdo it and kept it simple but elegant.”

Hadassah Troyer said she tried to be creative while at the same time being very detailed in placing her items.

She worked with Joel Troyer, who designed her furniture and box, and she said she had fun working through the process.

This keepsake now will be something she can cherish and hang on to.

“My mom still has her bedroom from when she was in school,” Troyer said.

The seventh-graders presented plenty of strong MyPlate poster entries as usual.

The overall title went to Kylie Yoder of Mt. Hope, with second going to Ava Yoder of Wise and third going to Elli Yoder of Mt. Hope.

As for the overall blue ribbon poster effort from Kylie Yoder of Mt. Hope, Janna Mast said it was one of the most stunning posters she has ever seen, and the seventh-grader let her artistic ability shine through in a poster that featured her own handiwork with colored pencils.

“Not only is it stunning, but it also has all of the facts you’re looking for in a MyPlate poster,” Grimes said. “Sometimes you see the same themes in this contest, but this one really caught our attention because it was so different along with being incredibly beautiful.”

Yoder said she has been drawing for several years, enjoying working with colored pencils the most. She said designing her poster was something she took a lot of time on and noted that art talent runs in her family.

Individual school winners in order from first to honorable mention were Kylie Yoder, Elli Yoder, Annika Schlabach and Olivia Troyer for Mt. Hope; Ava Yoder, Rachel Yoder, Kaylene Yoder and Aubrie Troyer for Wise; and Isabel Kaufman, Kayla Miller, Chloe Miller and Grace Shetler for Chestnut Ridge.

“I’m always so excited for the girls for this day, and they did an incredible job, as always, of showing off their skills and their creativity in both the bedrooms and the posters,” Mast said. “It was another strong year.”

As is the case every year, Berlin Fabrics was the sponsor for the contests. The winning bedrooms will be displayed at Keim Lumber Nov. 10-17 while the winning posters will be on display at Berlin Fabrics from Nov. 17 to Dec. 1.