By FULLER ROYAL
Staff Writer

Central Middle School sixth-grader Erik Cochran’s original design for a Christmas card captured the favor of the Whiteville City Schools administrators this month.

They selected his work for their annual Christmas card, which was mailed to educators and superintendents across the state.

Cochran, the son of Gene and Kathy Cochran, of Whiteville, is an art student of CMS art instructor Mary Louise Bannerman.

“Erik is what every teacher hopes for,” she told the Whiteville City Schools Board of Education during its Dec. 11 meeting. “He does what is expected/”

Bannerman said the card contest was used as a classroom exercise. Using her own experience in the world of greeting card design, bannerman acted as an art director and assigned her students the task of creating an original card. The students completed “roughs” and presented them to Bannerman for on-going critique, just as a professional artist would do in a “real world” situation.

“Erik’s card has a really sincere quality about it,” Bannerman said., “A sense of wonder with a child building a snowman and then a happy face on the back of his jacket.”

Bannerman said Cochran was “truly a deserving student.”

Superintendent Danny McPherson said that Cochran’s work had been selected anonymously by a team of central office staffers.

Bannerman said that sixth-grader Cochran beat out the seventh and eighth grade contestants.

Board Chairman Carlton Prince said the card was charming as he presented a framed card to Cochran. CMS principal Beverly Boone called Cochran a very talented student.

The city schools rotates from school to school in its card selection process. Next year, Edgewood Elementary’s students will be eligible for the contest.