Create a certificate of recognition for an event of your choice. Possible examples could include best all round athlete, best musician, most improved behavior, top ten percent in the class, etc. Be sure to include the recipient's name, date, type of award being given, and your name and/or company as the one presenting the award. Click on the link below to see an example of a certificate of recognition that uses both ClipArt and AutoShapes:

Certificate of Recognition

Before creating the certificate, two terms need to be addressed. The first term is input device, which inputs data into the computer. The main input device you will be using is the keyboard, which inputs text by keying in the letters that appear on the screen. Another input device you will use is the mouse. When you have completed your certificate, you will print it out on the network printer, which is an output device.

Including WordArt Text:

• Click the Insert WordArt button on the Drawing toolbar.
• At the WordArt Gallery, choose an the format of your choosing.
• At the Edit WordArt Text dialog box, key the words you want to appear as the title of your certificate.
• Click OK to close the dialog box.

Creating AutoShapes:

• Make sure the Drawing Toolbar is displayed.
• Click the AutoShapes button on the Drawing toolbar, point to the different options in the drop down list, and then click one of the shapes.
• Position the crosshairs in the document screen, hold down the left mouse button, hold down the Shift key and then drag the crosshairs to create the shape, and then release the mouse button.
• The shape displays with a small yellow box inside. This box is referred to as an adjustment handle. Position the mouse pointer on the adjustment handle, hold down the left mouse button, drag about halfway into the shape, and then release the mouse button. (This causes the points of the shape to drag into the star.)
• Experiment with a few other star and/or banner buttons until you get the shape you want.
• To add fill color, with the AutoShape drawn on the page, click the drop-down triangle on the Fill Button on the Drawing Toolbar (the one displays the paint can icon), then choose the color you want your shape to be.
• To copy a previously selected AutoShape, select the shape, while holding down the Ctrl key, drag the shape to where you want it to appear, and then release the Ctrl key and the mouse button.

Align and distribute shapes, follow the following steps:

• Click the Select Object button on the Drawing toolbar.
• Draw a border around the shapes you wish to align. To place a border, you must hold down the left mouse button while dragging over the shapes. When selecting your shapes, you might also select text. The text will not be affect the alignment of the shapes.
• Click the Draw button on the Drawing toolbar, point to Align or Distribute, and then click Align Bottom, then Align Top.
• Select the shapes on the left side of certificate.
• Click the Draw button on the Drawing toolbar, point to Align or Distribute, and then click Distribute Horizontally.
• Select the shapes on the right side of certificate.
• Click the Draw button on the Drawing toolbar, point to Align or Distribute, and then click Distribute Horizontally.

Flipping and Rotating an Object:

• Draw and AutoShape on your page.
• With the shape still selected, click the Draw button on the Drawing toolbar.
• At the pop-up menu that displays, point to Rotate or Flip.
• Experiment with the options listed under this menu.

Use the landscape orientation by completing the following steps:

• Click File and then Page Setup.
• At the Page Setup dialog box, click the Paper Size tab.
• Click Landscape in the Orientation section in the Page Setup dialog box.
• Click OK or press Enter.

Include a decorative art page border by completing the following steps:

• Display the Borders and Shading dialog box. (Format on the Menu Toolbar>Borders and Shading).
• At the Borders and Shading dialog box, click the Page Border tab.
• Click the Box button in the Setting section.
• Click the down-pointing triangle at the right side of the Art text box.
• At the drop-down list that displays, scroll down the list and choose a border that would accent your page.
• Click OK or close the dialog box.

Add a decorative font:

• Click the down-pointing triangle at the right side of the Size text box on the standard toolbar and pick a font other than the default font of Times New Roman.
• Size the font by clicking the down-pointing triangle at the right side of the Size text box. This causes a drop-down list of size options to display. Scroll through the list of sizes until the desired size is visible and then click the size.

Writing your name:

• Make sure the Drawing Toolbar is displayed.
  Click the AutoShapes button on the Drawing toolbar, point to Lines, and then click the Scribble button. (The Scribble button is the last button in the bottom row. Position the mouse pointer on this button and Scribble displays after one second in a yellow box.)
• Position the mouse pointer in the document screen, hold down the left mouse button, and then move the mouse pointer (a pencil) in the necessary directions to draw your first name. When you release the mouse button, white sizing handles display around your name. If you need to continue drawing your name (for example, to cross a "T"), select the Scribble button again. (If you are not satisfied with the results, make sure white sizing handles display around your name and then press the Delete key.)
• Try some of the other lines to see what kind of things you can create.

Inserting a line:

• Click the line button (beside the AutoShapes drop down list) and then drag out your line on the page while holding down the left mouse button.
• To change the width of the line (make sure you have the line selected), click the line style button on the drawing toolbar. At the drop-down list, choose the line thickness you want.
• To change the color of the line (make sure you have the line selected), click the line color button on the drawing toolbar. At the drop-down list, choose the color you want.
• To include a decorative arrow style to your line (make sure you have the line selected), click the arrow style button on the drawing toolbar. At the drop-down list, choose the arrow style you want to appear on the end of your line.

Include all of the following:

• Title Using WordArt
• Decorative Fonts
• Art Page Border
• AutoShapes-align both vertically and horizontally
• ClipArt
  Proofread and spell check
  Save your document with the name Certificate.