MILFORD – Just before chaos reigned on the morning of April 29, Milford High School sophomores and freshmen were asked to come to the cafeteria for a surprise assembly.

Lights dimmed and balloons waved high while a spotlight shined on two strangers in the crowd: two women who work at Google headquarters in California.

They were at Milford High to announce that freshman Bryan Whittier is heading to California because his doodle placed first in New Hampshire in the Doodle 4 Google competition.

One talented young artist in grades K-12 will see his or her artwork on the Google home page. The national winner will receive a $30,000 college scholarship and a $50,000 Google for Education technology grant for his or her school. The winner will be announced Monday, June 9.

The 2014 Doodle theme was: “If I could invent one thing, how could I make the world a better place?”

Whittier’s theme for his doodle was a pencil that met your beck and call.

“The pencil is drawing items with specific meaning,” he said. “It helps make the world a better place because when hunger arises, draw a herd of cattle. Your friend on the line of battle is shot; whip out your trusty pencil, and poof! Band-Aids! Your house gets destroyed in a disaster, then you can just draw your dream house.

“It solves everything in terms of need.”

Whittier said of his submission on the Google website, “My doodle depicts a pencil which can bring whatever is drawn with it into the world. It depicts innovation, music and wonder. The letters are supposed to look like they have been drawn by the pencil, therefore gray scale. This could help the world by making whatever is needed of it.”

In honor of Whittier’s win, his doodle was enlarged on a massive poster board, and was also displayed on hundreds of T-shirts for the students to take after the assembly so they could wear his doodle.

For more information, visit www.google.com/doodle4google/vote.html#d=d4-6.

Jessica Ryan is a junior at Milford High School.