Turkey Native Designs Putnam's Anniversary Logo

Turkey Native Designs Putnams Anniversary Logo
Putnam's Sesquicentennial Committee announced the winners of its logo and slogan contests, marking the start of the the town's150th anniversary celebration.

Contestants from the town's public and private schools, kindergarten through the 12th grade, were involved under the direction of Putnam Sesquicentennial Committee member and Putnam Middle School seventh-grade teacher Jeanne Benoit.

The committee chose winners from each grade in each school, including all of Putnam's public schools, Saint Mary's School and the Putnam Science Academy.

The committee recently displayed the finalists' work at the Town Hall, then chose the winners.

Putnam's official Sesquicentennial logo was designed by 18-year-old Putnam Science Academy senior Bulent Yalcin.

Yalcin graduated this month, and is looking forward to attending college at the State University of New York, where he plans to study computer engineering and graphic design.

He's not your typical Putnam teenager. A resident of Queens, N.Y., he emigrated to America with his parents from his native Turkey when he was 3. The computer science and art student attended the academy for just eight weeks in February.