 |
(first row from left), Andy Guisti, Sulphur; (2nd row) Breanna Winfree, Stilwell; Jessica Graham, Quinton; Samuel Young, Stigler; Kentrell McCoy, Ardmore; (3rd row) Tyler Pitchford, Red Oak; Chris Evans, Oklahoma City; and Miranda Abell, Sulphur. |
|
|
(first row from left), Andy Guisti, Sulphur; (2nd row) Breanna Winfree, Stilwell; Jessica Graham, Quinton; Samuel Young, Stigler; Kentrell McCoy, Ardmore; (3rd row) Tyler Pitchford, Red Oak; Chris Evans, Oklahoma City; and Miranda Abell, Sulphur. |
SULPHUR, Okla. − The dinosaur drawings of eight Oklahoma School for the Deaf
(OSD) students were selected for publication this week in a national contest
celebrating the 75th year of nationally syndicated comic strip Alley Oop.
The winners are Miranda Abell and Andy Guisti, Sulphur; Kentrell McCoy, Ardmore;
Samuel Young, Stigler; Breanna Winfree, Stilwell; Jessica Graham, Quinton; Tyler
Pitchford, Red Oak; and Chris Evans, Oklahoma City.
Their work will be featured as a part of the comic strip through Feb. 14 or may
be seen online at
www.comics.com/alley_oop.
Competition was stiff with nearly 400 children, ages two through 17, submitting
drawings for consideration by Alley Oop creators, Jack and Carole Bender, Tulsa.
Art teacher Loretta Stinson, who teaches fifth and sixth graders and all of
OSD’s special needs students, encouraged her students to research dinosaurs and
draw historically accurate versions.
Twenty-seven also added their first names, dates of birth and identified the
dinosaurs they chose to draw on their drawings. Stinson’s husband Harvey scanned
and transmitted the artwork to the Benders for judging.
“I couldn’t believe it when we got the e-mail saying that out of close to 400
drawings, we had eight students chosen for publication,” Stinson said. “The kids
who won are excited, but their parents are really excited.
“This is a wonderful opportunity for people across the nation to see their
artwork and realize that deaf students are just as talented as anyone else.”
Comic strip creators Jack and Carole Bender are happy with the response to the
contest.
“We wanted to make Alley Oop's 75th anniversary as special as possible, and we
couldn't think of a better way than to invite young reader interaction,” Carole
Bender said. “…we covered a complete cross section of age ranges and a sampling
of all of the schools submitting work.
“There were a lot of really good artists in the Oklahoma School for the Deaf, so
it was easy to choose several.”
Jack Bender has been the Alley Oop artist since 1991. Carole joined on as
letterer and assistant in 1992 and became writer of the strip in 2001 when the
previous writer retired.
“We both brainstorm on story ideas, and Carole assists in artwork and does
finish work on the computer, including adding gray tones for dailies and
coloring the Sunday comics,” Jack Bender said.
The Oklahoma School for the Deaf is a division of the Oklahoma Department of
Rehabilitation Services (DRS). For more information about education programs
offered free of charge to students who are deaf or hard of hearing, phone
888-685-3323 or www.osd.k12.ok.us .
(###)