The adjectives were sizzling as hot as latkes in a frying pan as the judges for the 14th annual Chanukah Art Contest wandered around the Chabad House Center looking at the more than 30 contest entries. The overall grand prize, an Apple iPad, was awarded to Sarah Unterhalter for her entry The Duct Tape Menorah. Sarah’s sister, Mandy Unterhalter, received first place in the K-4 division and Mya Levitch won the 5-8 division. The identity of the contestants was kept a secret from the judges until the judging process was concluded. The two first place winners each will receive an iPod Nano. The contest is sponsored by The Chabad House Center and The Chronicle.
Rabbi Mendy Wineberg, the Chabad House’s program director, explained that the purpose of this contest, which attracted more entries this year than any year in recent memory, is to get children to think about what Chanukah is really all about.
"Many of this year’s entries really showed the children thought about the religious significance of Chanukah, the miracle of the oil and the menorah. It shows they know it’s not about the presents, it’s about religious freedom and being proudly Jewish," Rabbi Wineberg said.
"The level of entries this year was incredible. Many were very intricate and it was extremely hard for the judges to actually choose winners," he continued. "We also got entries from all over the community this year including the Hyman Brand Hebrew Academy, The New Reform Temple and Congregation Beth Shalom."
Sarah’s winning entry is showcased on the front page in this week’s issue. She is a 10-year-old fifth-grade student at Congregation Beth Torah and Overland Trail Elementary School.
Rabbi Wineberg said Sarah’s menorah "really portrays the idea of standing up tall and with pride for your Judaism."
Sarah’s menorah is made out of duct tape. That’s a medium she uses often to create other projects including bracelets, wallets and phone cases. She said it took her about three weeks to build the project.
Sarah said she entered the contest because she "loves Chanukah and it’s fun."
Now that’s she’s won an iPad, Sarah said she will use it to play games.
"I’m really excited I won," she said.
Sarah’s sister, Mandy Unterhalter, is the lower division winner. They are the daughters of Janet and Bryan Unterhalter. The family moved here from Texas and is about to celebrate its third Chanukah here. The girls have entered the contest each of those years.
Janet Unterhalter said both Sarah and Mandy are very interested in art. They chose to enter the contest because they do a lot of art at home and, of course, they get very excited about Chanukah.
"They love to paint and create and that’s what they do in their spare time," Janet Unterhalter said.
When Mandy, an 8-year-old second-grader at Leawood Elementary School and Beth Torah, learned she had won her division her immediate reaction was "woo hoo!" She created a menorah painting using her hand and foot prints. She enjoys this type of painting, announcing that "I like getting my hands and feet all mushy and gushy."
Mandy said she drew the design out first and then "just did it."
Mya Levitch described her project as a pastel drawing using chalk. It features a dreidel and candles.
"I was thinking of the miracle of Chanukah. The candles symbolize the oil because it lasted eight days instead of one," Mya said.
Mya said she also chose to include dreidles because the letters on a dreidel symbolize a great miracle happened there. She chose to enter the contest after hearing about it at Beth Torah because she "loves doing art" and was excited about the possibility of winning an iPad.
Mya, the daughter of Lenna and Rob Levitch, is an 11-year-old fifth-grader at Overland Trail Elementary School. She has her own little art studio in the corner of the family’s basement.
"She’s always been interested in art and she got an art kit with oil paints and pastels and canvases for her 10th birthday," explained her mother.