When Avery Carter, now an eighth-grader at Our Lady of Hope/St. Luke School in Dundalk, won the contest to create a logo for the Archdiocese of Baltimore Department of Catholic Schools for the 2020-21 school year, it came as no surprise to Mary Holmes, his art teacher for six years.
“Avery was very artistic, demonstrating much creativity, interesting color choices, and attention to detail from the very beginning,” Holmes said. “When I first saw Avery’s logo, I immediately thought that he had created the winner. It was beautiful in its religious theme, intricate design and outstanding colors.”
The theme for the contest was “Be a Light for All to See,” from Matthew 5:16. Last spring, during virtual learning, Holmes shared the contest rules with all of her students. Carter, a student at Our Lady of Hope/St. Luke since kindergarten, was looking for something different to do during quarantine, and hand-drew his logo with pencil and markers.
“The first part of the logo is the star of Bethlehem from the Nativity,” he said. “I added stained glass because most all churches have (it), and I used the cross as the symbol of God.”
The contest drew more than 100 entries from across the archdiocese.
“It’s always a thrill to see your student recognized for outstanding work, and Avery definitely earned it,” said Holmes.
His logo will be used during the school year on the Catholic Schools website, stationery and other marketing materials.
“We’re really proud of Avery, and it is going to be great seeing the logo that he created being used to promote Catholic schools,” said Kellie Carter, his mother.
A small ceremony with social distancing was held in June at his school, where Carter was presented with a $50 Amazon gift card.
“I was really excited that I won the contest,” Carter said. “I never thought I would win.”
In addition to art, the 13-year-old enjoys science class, and plays flag football and soccer. He is considering Archbishop Curley and Calvert Hall for high school. After that, he wants to attend West Point, the U.S. Military Academy.
“What I like best about attending Catholic school is that my class is like a family,” he said.
His mother seconded that.
“We are very close with all of the families at Our Lady of Hope/St. Luke,” she said. “We love our school. Everyone knows everyone and watches out for each other.”
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