George Washington Carver High School of Engineering and Science junior Aleea Dina Suonborai, left, stands with her principal Darryl Johnson outside the school building. — Summitted photos Aleea Dina Suonborai has been named the grand prize winner of the first-ever Back the Bell Design Competition, presented by The Fund for the School District of Philadelphia. George Washington Carver High School of Engineering and Science junior Aleea Dina Suonborai, left, stands with her principal Darryl Johnson outside the school building. — Summitted photos Aleea Dina Suonborai has been named the grand prize winner of the first-ever Back the Bell Design Competition, presented by The Fund for the School District of Philadelphia. Aleea Dina Suonborai, an 11th grader at George Washington Carver High School of Engineering and Science, has been named the grand prize winner of the first-ever Back the Bell Design Competition, presented by The Fund for the School District of Philadelphia. Her winning design carries the uplifting message of “Learning today, leading tomorrow” and reflects her parents’ journey as Cambodian Muslim refugees in Philadelphia. Woven with plaid patterns, the artwork symbolizes resilience, creativity and faith, values central to Suonborai’s personal story. For her achievement, she received $1,500, and her design is now featured on official Back the Bell merchandise, including t-shirts, mugs, hats and hoodies. The items are available for purchase to benefit Philadelphia public schools and the community is encouraged to wear them on Back the Bell Day, Dec 9. “This year, Back the Bell invited students to share what the School District of Philadelphia means to them, and we were thrilled to receive more than 20 creative, inspiring submissions,” said Kathryn Epps, president and CEO of the Fund for the School District of Philadelphia, in a statement. “Pride, diversity and resilience are at the heart of the I AM SDP campaign, and we received impressive original designs that reflected these very qualities,” she said. The citywide contest invited students in grades six through 12 to create original graphics inspired by the School District’s “I AM SDP” campaign. Tiffany Huang, a 12th grader from Philadelphia High School for Girls, earned second place and a $500 prize, while Gylissy Xiong, an 11th grader from the same school, took third place, receiving $250. Formerly known as Dress Down Day, Back the Bell has become one of The Fund’s signature fundraising initiatives. Since 2018, it has raised more than $170,000 through merchandise sales, funding field trips, STEM supplies, updated technology, library books and other programs for district students. Each year, a new design theme engages both students and the wider Philadelphia community. All profits from this year’s merchandise will go directly to Philadelphia public schools, supporting creative programs and student initiatives across the city. “Back the Bell is more than a design competition, it’s a celebration of our students’ voices and their vision for our schools,” Epps said. “We’re inspired by their talent here at the Fund and we’re additionally thrilled that the community rallied around them through the voting process.” Stay informed and connected — subscribe to The Philadelphia Tribune NOW! Click Here Keep it Clean. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd, racist or sexually-oriented language. PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK. Don’t Threaten. Threats of harming another person will not be tolerated. Be Truthful. Don’t knowingly lie about anyone or anything. Be Nice. No racism, sexism or any sort of -ism that is degrading to another person. Be Proactive. Use the ‘Report’ link on each comment to let us know of abusive posts. Share with Us. We’d love to hear eyewitness accounts, the history behind an article.
https://www.phillytrib.com/news/the-learning-key/high-school-student-wins-inaugural-back-the-bell-design-competition/article_cea12971-554f-4379-be3f-884b01524280.html
