Saint Louis Public Schools

ST. LOUIS, MO. December 17, 2012 – On Friday, Police Captain D. Samuel Dotson, Operations Director for the City of St. Louis, had the distinct pleasure of announcing the winners of Mayor Francis Slay’s 2012 Holiday Card Contest.  Kayla Lokeomanivong, Oak Hill Elementary, submitted the Grand Prize winning design, which included a festive holiday wreath with the city and arch carefully placed in the center while Santa and his reindeer flew overhead.

An annual event, the Mayor’s Holiday Card Contest captures the feeling of the holiday spirit in St. Louis through the eyes of children ages 12 and under.  The Grand Prize winning design is then reproduced as the cover of Mayor Francis Slay’s holiday card.

Overall, SLPS students created six of the ten entries honored at an unveiling ceremony and reception in the Mayor’s Office on Friday. Jahnavi Acharya, Stix Early Childhood Center, was selected as First Runner-Up and Mykah Massey, Compton-Drew Investigative Learning Center, was selected as Second Runner-Up. SLPS students earning Honorable Mention for their designs were: Damon Eddleman, Woerner Elementary; Dzenan Zecevic, Buder Elementary; and Nadia Kennedy, L’Ouverture Middle School. Their artwork is currently on display in City Hall and on the St. Louis Public School District’s website at www.slps.org 

Shortly after the reception, Police Captain Dotson, a 17-year veteran of the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department, was named the city’s 34^th Chief of Police. He will replace Chief Daniel Isom, who is leaving in January.

For more information regarding the District’s participation in the Mayor’s Holiday Card Contest, please contact the Office of Public Information by calling (314) 345-2367.