Leading up to the Christmas season, students in The Academy were given the opportunity to design a Christmas card for the LOTA community. Participating Tartans received the instructions of creating an original design with the requirement of having religious attributes. The winner of this year’s contest was freshman Alexis Ann Braswell.

From her assortment of colors to her miniscule details, Braswell’s design stunned recipients of the card, including President Kathleen Prebble. 

“I just love the color, all the beautiful colors,” Prebble expressed. “It really did stand out right away.” 

Braswell explained the significance of creating a piece that would represent the diversity of The Academy. She yearned to stay away from stereotypes and portray a figure that would not only be inclusive, but also fit the guidelines of being religious.  

“It embraces the joy and diversity of our school,” Prebble noticed. 

Studio Art teacher Christine Cover shed light on the hidden elements in the drawing that made it even more special to the Holy Cross community. 

“Some of the buttons on the piece are the Cross and Anchor, ” Cover acknowledged. “She was trying to think of how to incorporate symbolism in the piece which I also think sets it apart from other ones, while also still satisfying the Christmas-religious component.”

Braswell made it a goal to portray the religious elements as inclusive as possible, conveying the variety of different faiths and beliefs held at the Academy that still hold the community together

“Not everybody that goes here is necessarily Catholic, and I wanted to do something that was more, ‘Wow, Christmas,’” Braswell emphasized.  

In addition to the card design being sent to spread cheer,  it was also sent to express gratitude to those whose contributions aid the school.

“It’s their generosity that allows us to do so many things,” Prebble affirmed.

In hopes for more people to participate in the coming years, Braswell gave advice to those also seeking a chance to represent the school through their creativity.

“Don’t think too much about it,” she guided. “You’re gonna end up just brainstorming all these different ideas that could all be valid and it’s just important to start with something.”