DOWN TO A FINE ART: LOCAL STUDENTS AND TEACHERS HONORED AT KIDS TAG ART AWARDS CEREMONY

PINELLAS COUNTY, FL – On Thursday, January 25th, Pinellas County Tax Collector, Charles W. Thomas, along with members of his team, and the Pinellas County Schools Visual Art Department hosted the ninth annual Kids Tag Art Pinellas Awards Ceremony at Largo High School.

 

With more than 500 attendees, the Kids Tag Art Team was joined by local community leaders and program sponsors to celebrate over 175 students, including the top student and teacher artists of the year. The ceremony was also livestreamed on YouTube for those who could not be in attendance - Bit.ly/KTA_Ceremony_24.

 

“I am honored to have the opportunity to award such talented artists and their teachers,” Mr. Thomas said. “The awards ceremony is one of my favorite parts of the program because of all the excited faces we get to see on stage, and it is just one part of what makes this program so special. Kids Tag Art is unique because not only does it allow students to see their artwork come to life, but it also raises money for their art classroom.”

 

Kids Tag Art Pinellas is a partnership between the Pinellas County Tax Collector’s Office, Pinellas County schools, and generous community sponsors. Funds are raised for local elementary school art classrooms through donations and by selling artwork – unique, front-facing license plates – designed by Pinellas County fifth graders and teachers. These plates are available online at kidstagartpinellas.org with 100% of the proceeds returning to the participating art classrooms.

 

Out of over 2,500 unique entries, 167 were selected to receive an “Award of Excellence” by a judging panel of retired art teachers. Each award of excellence winner received a certificate, a Tampa Bay Rays hat, a University of South Florida bull toy, a pass for Skyzone, and a Kids Tag Art Pinellas medal to mark their accomplishments. Program sponsors were also invited to select student winners – either by choosing a favorite from the Award of Excellence designs or by submitting a creative theme for students to participate in from which the sponsor selects a winner. These Sponsor Choice Award winners, 18 in total, received a framed copy of their tag design, a swag bag full of goodies, and various special prizes donated by generous community businesses. The program’s fourth annual teacher art social media contest winners were also announced and celebrated at the ceremony.

 

The Tax Collector Choice Award, the highest award of the program, was selected by Thomas and his grandson this year. This year’s winner was Matas Meskys from Brooker Creek Elementary. As the top winner, Matas was awarded a framed copy of his design, a swag bag, attraction passes donated by Celebration Station and Skyzone, a CiCi’s pizza party, and a customizable Tampa Bay Rays jersey.

 

“Every year there are so many incredible designs, and this year was no different. So, I enlisted my grandson to help me choose a winner this year,” Thomas explained. “We picked Matas’ design for its great detail and depiction of Florida’s most iconic reptile, a gator!”

 

Each year, Mr. Thomas personally orders his winner’s tag to place on the front of his vehicle. He also ordered one for this grandson as a present.

 

Congratulations to all this year’s winners!

 

Lilianna Fernandez, Gulf Beaches Elementary – CiCi’s Pizza Sponsor Choice Award

Zoey Funchion​, Fuguitt Elementary​ – City of Largo Sponsor Choice Award

Hailey Lake, Maderia Beach Elementary – Don Cesar Sponsor Choice Award

Ava Evers, Lake St. George Elementary – Grant St. Group Sponsor Choice Award

Marshawna Tillman​, Sawgrass Lake Elementary – Lauren’s Kids Sponsor Choice Award

Indie Suwardhana​, Fuguitt Elementary – LifeLink Sponsor Choice Award

Dillon Jordan​, New Heights Elementary – Office Worx Sponsor Choice Award

Castiel Raymond​, Sunset Hills Elementary – Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office Sponsor Choice Award

Maliyah Flynt​, Campbell Park Elementary​ – PostcardMania Sponsor Choice Award

Sydney Lee, Gulf Beaches Elementary – St. Joseph’s Children’s Hospital Sponsor Choice Award

Elora Johnson​, Brooker Creek Elementary – DPrint Sponsor Choice Award

Aspen Rojas​, Elisa Nelson Elementary – MicroLumen Sponsor Choice Award

Aaliyah Brown​, Sawgrass Lake Elementary – FL Heart Research Foundation Sponsor Choice Award

Grant Ames​, Gulf Beaches Elementary​ – Tampa Bay Rays Sponsor Choice Award

Mateusz Mirski​, Elisa Nelson Elementary – Tag Agency of Pinellas Sponsor Choice Award

Ernoisa Naka​, Belcher Elementary – Direct Mail Systems Sponsor Choice Award

Edouard Fiset​, Dunedin Elementary​ – Suncoast Credit Union Sponsor Choice Award

Shannon Livingston, Brooker Creek Elementary – 1st Place Teacher Contest Winner

Lauren Miller, Gulf Beaches Elementary – 2nd Place Teacher Contest Winner

Lauren Moon, Sawgrass Lake Elementary – 3rd Place Teacher Contest Winner

 

Since its inception, more than $300,000 has been raised by Kids Tag Art Pinellas for local elementary art classrooms and programs. The winning tags from each year are put on display at tax collector offices throughout the county.

 

This year’s Kids Tag Art program is made possible through generous community sponsors including Suncoast Credit Union, The Tampa Bay Rays, Tag Agency of Pinellas, Direct Mail Systems, Florida Heart Research Foundation, DPrint, MicroLumen, City of Largo, Office & Flooring Worx, Lauren’s Kids, Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office, PostcardMania, Grant Street Group, Bill2Pay, the DonCeSar, and more. For more info about Kids Tag Art Pinellas, visit pinellastaxcollector.gov/KidsTagArt.  Follow agency updates about Kids Tag Art Pinellas on Facebook, X, and Instagram - @PinellasTC.

 

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ABOUT THE PINELLAS COUNTY TAX COLLECTOR’S OFFICE: The Pinellas County Tax Collector’s Office is a constitutionally elected office. Responsibilities include collecting and distributing state and local taxes and providing driver license and motor vehicle registration services to Pinellas County residents. For more information, visit pinellastaxcollector.gov.