South Jersey high school art students need your help in shoe design contest
MOUNT HOLLY, New Jersey (WPVI) -- Two South Jersey high school art students need your help to advance into the top five of a nationwide shoe design contest.
Vaneise Sonny and Bethany Carns could with a $50,000 grand prize for their art program at Rancocas Valley Regional High School in Burlington County through the 2021 Vans' Custom Culture High School contest.
Rancocas Valley is just one of the 50 schools in the country vying for the top spot.
Senior Vaneise Sonny and junior Bethany Carns leveraged their own style to create two truly unique designs.
"I typically take a lot of time to figure out what I want to create," explained Carns. "With this contest, I suspended that approach and followed my instincts, and the result was something I'm really proud of."
"People often think of the beach when they think of New Jersey," said Sonny. "I always strive for originality. Rather than going with a beach theme, I chose the Jersey Devil whose home is in the Pine Barrens and it just so happened that my interest in drawing mythical creatures came together with the theme for this year."
John Furno, the art teacher at Rancocas Valley, hopes to return part of the prize money to the students in the form of scholarships if the school wins.
Students and community members are encouraged to vote for RVHRHS every day now through this Friday, May 7 by visiting https://customculture.vans.com/2021/gallery. The top five will be announced May 17, and the grand prize winner will be announced on May 21.
Other schools in the tri-state area competing in the contest include Lower Cape May Regional High School in Cape May, NJ; Secaucus High School in Secaucus, NJ; Parsippany Hills HS in Morris Plains, NJ; Exeter Township Senior High School in Reading, PA; and Pocono Mountain West High School in Pocono Summit, PA.
