The City of Andalusia’s Murals Committee plans to feature education in its next projects and looking to current students for inspiration.

Committee member Mary Lee Howard said the committee is sponsoring essay, poster and art contests and will take the ideas presented in the essays to determine the subjects included in the education mural, which will be painted on the Brooks Hardware building.

The subjects should be related to early schools in Covington County, Howard said. Some of the county’s earliest schools – like Rawls School, Blue Springs School and Falco School, all established before 1935 – are no longer in existence.

Other schools established pre-1935 include Andalusia City Schools, Pleasant Home School (then Cross School) and Fleeta. Howard said the committee does not have beginning dates for Opp City, Florala City, Red Level or Woodson.

Suggested topics of essays and subjects of art work include an educator, a school, school founders, students, a typical school day, notable achievements, or other subjects relating to an early school in Covington County.

The committee has suggested that students source their work through the Three Notch Museum, the genealogy section of the Andalusia Public Library, old photographs at Kinsey Photography, or from the works of local historians Wiley Ward and Sidney Waites.

The deadline for entries is May 14, and entries should be turned in at each school.

Elementary, middle and high school winners will be selected in each contest.

Each entry should include a page with the student’s name, address, phone number, grade level, school and teacher. Other rules follow.

Essays must relate to a school founded before 1935, should be one to three pages and typewritten.

Posters should be 16 x 20 and consist of copies of photos of the subject. An accompanying page should identify the people, place, occasion or activity in the picture as well as information about the school.

Original artwork must be 16 x 20 in size and also should include an information page as described with posters.

Winners will be recognized during Absolutely Andalusia homecoming activities in November. Trophies will be awarded.

Pat Palmore and Nancy Robbins co-chair the committee.