Minuteman High School student Sophia Morgan of Lexington Creates Winning Design for Sticker about Legal Alcohol Age

By Judy Bass

Sophia Morgan of Lexington, a senior at Minuteman High School in Lexington who is studying Design and Visual Communication, won a contest sponsored by the Arlington Youth and Health Coalition (AYHC) to design a sticker promoting awareness of the legal age to purchase alcohol.

Vibrant and eye-catching, Morgan’s sticker features the number “21” boldly emblazoned with the words, “YOU MUST BE 21 TO PURCHASE ALCOHOL! IT’S THE STATE LAW. PURCHASING OR PROVIDING ALCOHOL TO MINORS IS AGAINST THE LAW.”

Morgan is delighted that her design was selected by the AYHC. “It is exciting and rewarding for me to receive recognition of my work outside the classroom,” she said. “I’m proud of my accomplishment and am grateful for the opportunity.”

Her teacher, Maria Galante, said, “Sophie competed against other students in her class to design a sticker to provide awareness on the age to purchase alcohol. There were many changes to the design and it was a great chance for Sophie to understand how to work with clients. Her design was chosen as the winner with a prize of $100. Sophie’s design will be printed and used on packages of alcohol in local liquor stores.”

In describing Morgan, Galante said, “She has exemplary concept and creative problem-solving skills. In addition, she is self-motivated and often helps other teachers and organizations with the innate drawing, creativity, and technical skills she has learned in class. She is passionate, reliable, conscientious, and hard working.”

Morgan described the evolution of her design: “I came up with the design through a process of brainstorming and discussion, employing my knowledge of design principles and color theory. I considered the message and how the sticker should impact the viewer, and employed design techniques to communicate that. After brainstorming, I created several semi-finished designs on the computer with slight variations. These I emailed to the client for feedback.”

She continued, “From there we picked a design to move forward with, and discussed changes the client would like to make. I sent several rounds of edited designs and responded to the client’s requests at each step. Through discussion and drafting I created a sticker that followed the principles of design, communicated the message clearly, and satisfied the client’s wishes.”

Morgan hopes to keep using the impressive creativity she demonstrated at Minuteman. “I plan to pursue a liberal arts education in Religion, Women’s Studies, with Visual Arts,” she noted. “In the future I am considering a Doctors of Divinity or a Masters in Non-profit Management. I am committed to following a life path in the service of others and in support of justice. I hope to create theater, writing, and visual arts that tackle societal injustice and violence.”

The superb academic and technical education that Minuteman provides to students like Sophia Morgan readies them for demanding projects like this one, as well as for success in college and in the workplace. Minuteman’s rigorous, challenging curriculum positions them to excel as outstanding professionals in an increasingly competitive 21st century global economy. Please visit www.minuteman.org for more information on Minuteman High School.

Morgan herself credits Minuteman with giving her a solid foundation for the future. “My Minuteman education has provided me a hands-on, self-directed environment to pursue my creative endeavors and dedicate myself to projects and subjects that interest me. My major has given me many wonderful opportunities to create and learn things that would never have been available to me at a ‘traditional’ high school. Whether or not Design and Visual Communication plays a large part in my career, the skills I have acquired at Minuteman will give me a unique advantage for the rest of my life.”