Dublin Jr High 8th grader Selene Moreno bested a pool of more than 500 students to win the second annual 9-1-1 Heroes Art Contest, hosted by North Central Texas 9-11 and RapidDeploy.
The contest invited students K-12 across the NCT9-1-1 service area to participate in celebrating National First Responders Day (Oct. 28) through creating artwork that honors our everyday heroes—first responders.
As the winner of the art contest, Selene’s entry will be turned into a lasting mural in Erath county. The win also included a scholarship contribution from Motorola Solutions to support her future education and artistic endeavors.
“We are proud to recognize this year’s National First Responders’ Day Art Contest winner and celebrate the creativity and thoughtfulness shown in their work. Selene’s artwork is a meaningful tribute to the dedication and service of first responders who protect and serve our communities every day. NCT9-1-1 and RapidDeploy, a Motorola Solutions company, are honored to support opportunities that allow students to express appreciation for first responders while fostering their creativity,” 9-11 Community Engagement Coordinator Nikki Newton said on behalf of NCT9-1-1 and RapidDeploy.
In a press release, NCT9-1-1 said Selene’s entry was selected “for its creativity, emotional depth, and a clear message of unity among first responders. It captured the spirit of courage, collaboration, and care that defines emergency response work.”
Moreno was excited about the honor, saying she’s been recognized for her art before but “it’s never been this big.”
Selene said she first heard about the competition from one of her teachers, Skye Gaitan.
In completing her design showing the efforts of first responders at work, she said, “I wanted to make it realistic.”
“I respect what they do for everybody,” she said of the firefighter, police, telecommunicators and EMS personnel who serve their communities.
Dublin secondary counselor Lindsay Tyus shared her appreciation of the work with Selene, saying: “We’re all beyond so impressed and proud. I saw your respect and honor for first responders[in the design]. When they see that, they’re going to know you own that for them.”
Tyus also praised Moreno for a recent first place finish in UIL theatrical design contest where students were tasked with putting together a design concept for hair and makeup in an existing work. In her prompt, students had to develop designs for Homer’s The Odyssey as if it were set in the Victorian era.
When asked if she wanted to pursue, art as a career, she quickly said yes and said she was interested in becoming a tattoo artist. She’s continuing to practice and embracing opportunities as Gaitan recently told her about another contest she’s looking to enter.
For more information on NCT9-1-1 and its efforts, visit nct911.org.