Speedball Art Supply held the nation-wide contest for teachers and students using Speedball products in four categories: screen printing, block printing, ceramics, and calligraphy. The theme of this year’s contest was “Imprint on the World.” The teacher’s lesson plans and students’ work was considered by an independent judging panel. Teacher criteria included creative use of available Speedball materials, practicality and completeness of lesson plan content, neatness, and relationship to theme. The student criteria included relationship to contest theme, creativity, neatness, and overall assessment.

Ms. Reynolds had the students use Speedball’s block printing ink to create prints featuring the panda, an endangered species. Students were required to look up facts about the panda and this verbiage was stenciled as the background for the panda images.

Sixth grader Sophie Nguyentran won the grand prize (a $200 gift certificate) in the student category for block printing (Grades 4-6); sixth grader Natalie Zapp won honorable mention (a $50 gift certificate) in the student category for block printing (Grades 4-6); and teacher Anna Reynolds won the grand prize (a $1,000 gift certificate) in the teacher category for block printing (Grades 4-6).