MEMPHIS, Tenn. (localmemphis.com) – Shelby County Schools are getting first-hand experience in design, marketing, and philanthropy. The schools are competing to design the district’s very own shoe in the 901 Shoe Design Competition.
It was tough to be a judge in this room. Five schools, five teams and five tables of brilliance went head-to-head designing the official Shelby County School District shoe.
“Just to see the response and the energy from the kids, it’s pretty awesome,” said Edward Bogard, SoGiv Founder and Philanthropic Designer.
SoGiv is a nonprofit shoe design company and Bogard is the mind behind the competition where students go heel to toe for the best design. Each design represents a special cause.
“The kids have the opportunity to have a real world type of design experience, work in teams, get a chance to just learn how to raise awareness for a cause that they deeply believe in and that they champion,” said Bogard.
The causes included gun violence, breast cancer, bee colony collapse syndrome, and water pollution. Overton High School based their design on a teammate’s experience with immigration. Diana was held in an immigration detention center in Texas for four months.
“It made me feel kind of sad and kind of upset because nobody notice this problem. They think it’s so small, but it’s really much more than that,” said Lakayla Perry, Overton High School 11th grader.
Her team’s design was themed “We are all the same.”
“The red, it was based off a heart and love. Black was fear because they’re scared in there. You’ve got green for growth, blue for healing, and brown for refuge,” said Perry.
It is the ‘sole’ of change.
“We’re a very diverse group from a lot of different backgrounds from a lot of different places,” said Cody McNeal, Overton High School 10th grader. “It’s about unity. It’s about being together. It’s really important to us.”
The three finalists in the competition are Overton High School, Germantown High School, and Bolton High School. The final day of the contest is Saturday. The winning shoe will be manufactured for the public to buy, and all proceeds will go back to the Shelby County School District.