PORT NECHES — Kelli Ferguson and Leanne Weeks are helping empower teachers at Port Neches-Groves High School though their gift of art.

The two seniors worked together to create the winning design for a faculty T-shirt using the word ‘empower.’

Digital Image and Multimedia teacher Lisa Mitchell paired the two students together for the contest.

“My mom’s a teacher,” Ferguson said. “A lot of teachers talk about how their favorite moment in their career is when a students light bulb goes off.”

That ‘aha’ moment struck home thus giving Ferguson the idea for using a light bulb in the logo.

Mitchell remembers walking by the students looking over the designs. Ferguson and Weeks took her critique to heart, made a few changes and created, in Photoshop, the perfect design.

Mitchell submitted 14 entries from her class and the contest was open to students in both middle and high school.

“When I submitted 14 entries form our class, I liked them all. But th

eir design was the only one that triggered that feeling that all teacher’s get in that ‘light bulb moment,’” Mitchel said. “That feeling can’t be described, but it is unique and it is the essence of what keeps any teacher motivated. When I was contacted that Kelli and Leanne’s design had won, I was happy to know it was because it triggered that same feeling in those that chose the winning design.”

Ferguson and Weeks are not new to the art world. Ferguson has long been interested in photography, portraits to be exact, and is on the yearbook staff and Weeks enjoys working with clay and painting and drawing flowers in pastels. Both have mom’s who are teachers.

“I plan to major in elementary education and minor in photography,” Ferguson said. The senior is a member of DECA, student council advisory vice-president and National Honor Society.

Weeks is in her second year of art at the high school and is involved in Primetime at the school. She hasn’t decided on a major just yet.

“I’m on the fence,” Weeks said. “Either dermatology or website design. I’d like to do both.

Ferguson is the daughter of Kenneth Ferguson and Roxanne Ferguson.

Weeks is the daughter of Janice Caldwell and Troy Caldwell.

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