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PROPOSED RESOLUTION
HONORING THE TWENTY-FIVE FLAG2021 SEMIFINALIST DESIGN TEAMS
WHEREAS, the Cook County Flag is the official Banner of Cook County, Illinois, the second largest county in the United States with a population of over 5.2 million people; and,
WHEREAS, the County Board approved the current County Flag by Resolution on March 14, 1961 after four County employees and the County Treasurer came up with a design on their own that was submitted by President Daniel Ryan to the Board; and,
WHEREAS, it was determined by the Cook County Board of Commissioners that it was time to create a New Flag for a New Century, in December 2019, the Board of Commissioners passed a resolution to find a new official banner for the County, inviting all high school age students grades 9 through 12 to submit designs for consideration; and,
WHEREAS, that the President convened, and Commissioner Scott Britton has Chaired, the FLAG2021 Advisory Panel comprised of historians, community members, design experts, County Board members, County leadership and others to conduct a FLAG2021 Design Contest as part of the creation of 21st Century Cook County Flag.
WHEREAS, that the winning flag design will become the official banner of Cook County Government and will be flown in all locations where the current County flag is flown, including Richard J. Daley Plaza in Chicago, the Cook County Building and all other County Facilities and Courthouses; and,
WHEREAS, that the 21st Century County Flag, once approved, is to be raised in a public ceremony on Daley Plaza, and that an additional ceremony would be held with all municipalities and townships to exchange their 20th Century Cook County Flag for the 21st Century Cook County Flag in 2021; and,
WHEREAS, the FLAG2021 Design Contest invited student designers to design a flag for Cook County using colors, symbols, shapes and patterns to represent the following aspects of Cook County, with students asked to consider:
• County Mission and History: Cook County has played a large role in the development of the modern United States, including--but not limited to--providing access to health care; transportation and roadways; the provision of all aspects of the justice system; a commitment to preservation of the environment and creation of the Forest Preserves; and a center of commerce for the nation.
• Geography: The Forest Preserve, Lake Michigan, the rivers which run throughout the County and feed the lake; the six main geographic regions of the County--City of Chicago as the County seat and five suburban regions (North, Northwest, West, Southwest, South).
• People: Cook County is home to people who come from all over the nation and the world, with many different groups of residents coming together to make one county of over 5.5 million people.
WHEREAS, at the launch of the FLAG2021 Design Contest, the Cook County Historic Archives and Records Office (CARO) mailed packets to over 500 Cook County high schools and all educational institutions that instruct high school aged students; and,
WHEREAS, CARO conducted multiple in person and virtual visits featuring the Cook County Historian to discuss the history of Cook County and provide insights into participation in the FLAG2021 Design Contest; and,
WHEREAS, nearly 300 designs were submitted to CARO from high school students throughout Cook County; and,
WHEREAS, the Advisory Panel identified semifinalists from among those submitted for consideration by the Panel, and, matched semifinalist designers with volunteer design professionals and Advisory Panel mentors to further develop and refine their designs, with the goal of identifying five finalists for the County Board to consider; and,
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that these student designers, who have thoughtfully submitted their flag designs and descriptions and have been selected as FLAG2021 semifinalists, be recognized for their creativity and contributions towards assisting Cook County find a New Flag for a New Century, including: Angela Almanza, Mother McCauley; Leo Angelini, Oak Park and River Forest; Molly Armbruster, Oak Park and River Forest; Noami Balderas, Thornton Fractional North; Ryan Bradley, Disney Magnet II; Caleb Braziel, Marian Catholic; Alex Calabrese, St. Ignatius College Prep; Edward Carr, Ray Graham Training Center; Gabriel Classon, William Fremd; Maeve Clifford, Mother McCauley; Joel Cruz, J.S. Morton East; Julia Davis, Disney Magnet II; Drew Duffy, Glenbrook South; Jaime Fregoso, Ray Graham Training Center; Julia Gamboa, Mother McCauley; Christian Garcia, Bloom Trail; Joshua Givens, Providence St. Mel; Rafael Gonzalez, Rich East; Sofia Hogue, Evanston Township; Charlye Hunt, Alan B. Shepard; Deahvyon Jones, Ray Graham Training Center; Simon Koziol, East Leyden; Allison Lemmon, Evanston Township; Josh Lipman, Evanston Township; Noemi Lopez, Roberto Clemente; Tim Mellman, Oak Park and River Forest; Ilyas Munzir, Barrington; Alejandra Navarette, Evanston Township; Ricardo Ochoa, Thornton Fractional North; Tyree Owens, Jr., Thornton Fractional North; Bennett Pascal, Evanston Township; Jesus Ramirez, J.S. Morton West; Cyrill Reyes, East Leyden; Juan Simon, Buffalo Grove; Bryce Thurman, Thornton Fractional North; Alex Tomy, Maine East; Kyle Trzaskus, Evanston Township; and, Rayn White, Providence St. Mel; and,
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that these volunteer design professionals, who served as mentors to these student designers, be recognized for their civic duty to Cook County, including: Heather Anderson, Graphic Designer at the Forest Preserve District of Cook County; Steve Batterson, Director of Brand Strategy at Simple Truth; Martin Burciaga, Graphic Design Specialist at Cook County Graphics Department; Dan Chodrow, Freelance Executive Creative Director; Sarah Davis, Creative Director at Sarah Davis Creative; Martinez E-B, Art Professor at Harper College; Bill Gatewood, CEO at Webitects; John Geletka, CXO and Founder at Geletka+; Gerald Griffin, Artist and Owner at Gerald Griffin Gallery; Mark Jarzemsky, Freelance Creative Director; Jim Kelly, Executive Creative Director at closerlook; Lisa Lee, Executive Director at the National Public Housing Museum; Denny Liu, Senior Designer at The Office of Experience; Denis McNamara, Graphic Designer at Cook County Graphics Department; Lauren Meranda, Professor of Design at Northeastern University; Faiz Razi, Designer and Faculty Member at Northwestern University; Scott Rench, Freelance Creative Director; Dave Straus, Creative Director and President at Happy Tokyo Productions; Carl Vogel, Director of Communications at the Forest Preserve District of Cook County; and, Josh Witherspoon, Executive Creative Director at VSA Partners; and,
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to the semifinalist student designers and volunteer design professionals to recognize their creativity and dedication to the future of Cook County.
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