When the Illinois Flag Commission announced in the fall it would begin accepting public submissions for a new state flag design, students at Geneseo Middle School sprung into action.
Under the instruction of Sam Bush and Missy Jackson, 7th grade geography students worked in groups to come up with a total of 46 designs. Their classmates voted to determine the top three, which were then officially submitted to the State of Illinois.
The project began with a review of the state’s current flag, which has been in place since 1915. Students were then tasked with researching the state of Illinois, the flag’s history, and what the different elements of the flag represented.
“Through this process, the students were able to decide whether or not they would like to include current aspects of the flag and how they would redesign the flag while following the guidelines from the state competition,” explained Mrs. Bush.
“Each flag presented a unique perspective and design focused entirely on our great state,” added Mrs. Jackson. “We really enjoyed seeing the variety of votes received by so many different designs.”
The 1st place group consisted of Maddison Harris, Eliana Charlet, Seren Sharpe and Shae Ceurvorst (not pictured). Second place team members were Noah Tully, Adrian McSparin, Canon Hudson and Elijah Melton, while the third place group included Peyton Wexell, Lily Putnam, Addy Havill (not pictured), Ruby Air and Elle Patterson.
According to Illinois Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias, nearly 5,000 designs were submitted for members of the Illinois Flag Commission to review.
The commission will select 10 designs based on how they reflect the identity of Illinois, then host an online public survey for residents to vote on their favorites or to keep the current flag. Voting will begin January 1, 2025, and last six weeks.
After public feedback, the commission will report its findings to the Illinois General Assembly, whose members will vote on whether to adopt a new flag or retain the current flag design.
Mrs. Bush and Mrs. Jackson both agreed that students took pride in their state and showcased it well through their own unique flag designs.
“They were invested in this project and in turn became promoters of our state,” said Mrs. Jackson.
Mrs. Bush added, “Students did a phenomenal job identifying not only symbols but also color choice as they rationalized each of their selections.”
