"I've wanted to be an artist for as long as I can remember," Elizabeth said.
She loves painting, drawing, coloring, and crafts. It took her a few days to create a design to represent her city.
There is a diamond in the middle to symbolize the Gem City. Blue represents the city's Metroparks and green represents the area's trees. The four corners of the flag represent the different areas in Dayton.
"She has told me about the different blues and the greens and the things that it means to her about the land and the water and about the different diversities of people that are in Dayton just coming together as one," Susan Hardy, Elizabeth's mother said.
Hardy got a call from the school letting her know her daughter was a finalist.
"I was super excited and surprised and proud," Hardy said.
Elizabeth did her original artwork in colored pencil. Then, she worked with a graphic designer to come up with the final product.
Her design is one of three finalists in the city's competition.
Now, Dayton Mayor Nan Whaley is asking people to visit daytonohio.gov/flag to submit feedback on the three finalists until March 31st.
"It's not a strict voting. It's more about what you like and don't like about each flag, so we can take that feedback for our final design," Whaley said during a City Commission Meeting on February 26th.
Then, Whaley wants people to start using the new flag to represent the city.
"We hope entrepreneurs in our community will start making things with the new flag to really enlist pride around the City of Dayton."
Elizabeth is excited about the prospect of her design flying high over Dayton.
"That would be incredible," Elizabeth said.
Other finalist designs:
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