LOCAL GIRL MAKES GOOD

Alaska Airlines sponsored a contest to celebrate the 50th year of

statehood for Alaska in 2009. The winning student's artwork

would be painted on an Alaska Airlines jet, plus the Grand Prize

is a vacation for 4 to Disneyland--how cool is that!?

The winner is Hannah Hamberg from right here in Sitka:

WHAT INSPIRED HANNAH'S WINNING DESIGN?
¨Growing up in a small town in Alaska, I've seen how Alaskans 

work together and help each other. My design was inspired by

the way that we all ‘pull together.’

I made my first rough sketch on the ferry riding from Juneau

to Sitka, where after lots of thinking, I came up with the idea

of a musher being pulled by several sled dogs. I looked at my

sketch and thought about all the amazing things that surround

me every day; the wild animals, the people and culture, and I 

realized that there was something missing. 

I thought my design would be better if I replaced some of the

dogs with symbols of things that make Alaska the special place

it is: the ferries, the native people and their culture, the bears

and the whales, and of course the head sled dog to lead us to 

the finish line. I can't wait to see the finished plane land at the

Sitka airport!¨

— Hanna Hamberg, Grand Prize Winner
(Grade 11, Sitka High School)

You can visit the official website here and see all of the other

excellent artwork submitted by Alaskan kids.