McKinley Seventh Grader Wins Video and Drawing Recognitions

Seventh grader Jonathan Mills has had a successful year with his artwork.

The McKinley Middle Schooler and his team placed third with documentary project for C-Span, and he also took grand prize for his school’s PTA Reflections art contest, for which he submitted a drawing about unity.

Considering film as a possible career choice, Jonathan described "Let There Be Light," the film his team produced. It’s also available at http://www.cspanvideo.org/program/Moes.

“We created a documentary about LED lighting and how it relates to the federal government,” Jonathan said.  “The film was about eight minutes long and it took a few months to make. The message was that LED lighting is a good choice and it’s going to be very effective in the future.”

Whiz Kid's Name: Jonathan Mills

Whiz Kid's School: McKinley Middle School, 7th grade

Whiz Kid's Key Accomplishment: Jonathan and his team won 2nd place in the C-SPAN Student Cam competition. He's also received recognition for his art work.

Whiz Kid's Claim to Awesomeness: Jonathan said his team’s documentary supervisor recommended the topic, due to its relevance and positive outcome from the judges in previous years.  For their achievement, the group won $750, which they divided equally, Jonathan said. He plans to save at least half of it for college.

Jonathan said the project gave him opportunities to write scripts.

He also enjoys drawing, and for the school district’s “Together We Can” theme for its PTA Reflections art contest, Jonathan decided a colorful piece would best express his hopes for unity among people of different races, cultures, and religions.

“I drew a picture of all these people from around the world holding hands around the globe, and they are all different nationalities,” he said. “I think that together we can connect as one group and make peace around the world.”

That goal, however, is not one that can be met without facing challenges, the young artist acknowledged. He said some of those are to be expected when people have different backgrounds and values.

“Sometimes people think they can do things themselves, and some religions and cultures don’t believe in connecting with others,” he said. “And sometimes the leaders have no interest.”

His entry placed first in the state in the visual arts category for grades 6-8. The Reflections program is designed to enhance quality arts education for students in preschool through grade 12, encouraging them to create works of art in the areas of dance choreography and film production. Jonathan’s work was displayed at the
Milwaukee Art Museum, and it will be judged at the national level next. He hopes
his art will inspire others and said sometimes unity comes from simple actions.

“Ask questions and just be nice to people,” he said. “Because if you are nice to
people and treat them with respect, they will treat you that way.”