Heritage Elementary Billboard Contest

This April, Destination Homes teamed with students from Heritage Elementary School to create artwork showcasing the meaning of home for a series of new billboard ads.

“Looking at something through the eyes of a kid always offers a fun and refreshing perspective on things,” said Ryan Snarr, Marketing Director for Destination Homes. “We are really excited about the results.”

Using no more than six words, fourth graders from five different classes were asked to define what home meant to them by completing the phrase “The Place…” with an accompanying illustration. Winning student entries will be featured on the 14’ by 48’ digital billboard located at the Antelope Drive Exit in Layton.

“My students loved being creative and seeing their ideas come to life in their advertisements,” said Ashley Saunders, fourth grade teacher at Heritage Elementary School. “They were able to really think deeply about what their home means to them. With the limited amount of words, they also learned how to say a lot with just a few words which emphasized the importance of word choice in writing.” 

Entries ranged from abstract ideas to colorful depictions of the student’s lives.

Lindsey age 9, from Mrs. Heidi Hansen’s fourth grade class, chose to illustrate her favorite room in her home. “I really like my theatre room,” said Lindsey. “That is where we watch movies and hang out as a family.”

Olivia age 9, from Mrs. Suzy Price’s fourth grade class, opted to concentrate on what was most eye-catching. “I used lots of red because it gets people’s attention.”

Once each of the 45 submitted entries were collected, they were created into mini billboards and judged by a panel of Destination Homes employees to determine the 1^st, 2^nd, and 3^rd place ribbon winners. A prize of $500 for school supplies was also determined for the classroom with the best entries overall.

On Friday, May 9, each billboard entry was displayed and winners were announced in a gallery stroll at the Hill Farms model home in Kaysville.

1^st Place Ribbon Winner: Samantha, Age 10, Mrs. Saunder’s Class

2^nd Place Ribbon Winner: Olivia, Age 10, Mrs. Saunder’s Class

3^rd Place Ribbon Winner: River, Age 10, Mrs. Saunder’s Class

Additional student entries were also awarded with honorable mention ribbons. Many of these will be featured on the 14’ by 48’ digital billboard along with the 1^st, 2^nd and 3^rd place winners throughout the month of May.

Among those who attended Friday was Saunders, whose class won the overall prize for participation and $500 for school supplies.

“It really was all on them. I presented the material and said, ‘ok go,’” said Saunders. “We talked about how this was what people do everyday for their jobs. We looked at billboards online and tried to think about what would make ideas stand out from the rest.”

According to Saunders, the experience was not only enjoyable for her fourth graders, but also eye-opening.

“It stretched their thinking and they were able to make real world connections through this project,” said Saunders. “A student mentioned that he thinks it would be fun to work in advertising when he grows up.”

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