Rehobeth student wins Scion competition

Alicia Kessel loves music.

The 17-year-old piano and art student at Rehobeth High School now has a big keyboard on her resume.

Her Scion design, featuring bright piano keys in her favorite colors on a purple backdrop, received the most text message votes in a Toyota of Dothan design competition among area schools.

Her winning design, Harmony, earns Rehobeth a $10,000 cash award, to be presented this Friday night during the Rehobeth and Carroll High School football game.

“I just want to say thanks to everybody who voted,” Alicia said during the announcement Monday morning at the local dealership on Ross Clark Circle.

About 86,000 votes were cast in the competition, with only one vote allowed per cell phone. Alicia’s design was the top vote-getter, receiving more than 60 percent of the votes.

Her design beat out Electric, a lightning bolt and hands design by Alex Anderson and Justin Fuqua of Northview High School, and Wonders, a design by Karina Garnaga, a Russian exchange student at Dothan High School, which depicted famous landmarks from around the world.

The competition, which was announced in August, was open to students in grades nine through 12. Nearly a dozen schools submitted entries. An independent panel selected the top three.

Rehobeth Principal Matt Swann said there was a great deal of support for the project in the county school.

“We had a little campaign. We put up signs at the ball games and tried to talk it up as much as we could,” Swann said.

In all, about 250 of Rehobeth High’s 680 students submitted drawings. Teachers selected the top 15 and an outside committee chose Alicia’s design as the school’s representative.

“The way finances are, anytime you get some extra money, it’s good to get it,” Swann said.

Alicia will have input on how the award is spent. Some of it she wants to go to the Rehobeth High School Band. Also, monies may go to purchase a large curtain for the stage.

Toyota of Dothan co-owner Mike Schmitz said it was good to see so much community support for the project.

“Anytime you can do something to support the schools, it’s good. This will add to your resume,” Schmitz told Alicia.

Alicia is considering attending the University of Mobile or the University of Montevallo.

The three designs remain on display at Toyota of Dothan and are for sale, as wrapped.