LANSING, Mich. — Sen. Mark Huizenga on Friday applauded 11th-grader Sydney Kuipers of Forest Hills Northern High School in the 30th Senate District for winning the governor’s 2023 State of the State art contest.
“Passionate and creative students like Sydney Kuipers are what makes Michigan strong, and I applaud her on her wonderful talent,” said Huizenga, R-Walker. “Children like Sydney are the future of our state, and our future is both bright and strong. I also want to thank the governor for holding this innovative way to encourage and highlight Michigan students.”
Lt. Gov. Garlin Gilchrist II selected the winner from five student finalists out of hundreds of students from across the state who submitted their artwork. He announced Kuipers as the winner Friday morning. Kuipers’ winning art piece will be featured on the cover of the 2023 State of the State program.
The art contest challenged K-12 students across Michigan to come up with a creative design for the program cover following the theme “What makes Michigan strong?” Students were encouraged to be as creative as possible and were welcome to use crayon, marker, paint, or any other material.
Huizenga represents the 30th Senate District, which includes portions of Kent and Ottawa counties.
