Education, Entertainment

BCPS students earn 778 Scholastic Art and Writing Awards

Scholastic Art and Writing AwardsBaltimore County Public Schools students earned an amazing 778 regional 2018 Scholastic Art & Writing Awards. This awards program is among the most prestigious high school arts recognition programs in the nation.

BCPS students from 12 high schools and 3 middle schools earned a total of 193 Gold Keys, 256 Silver Keys, and 329 Honorable Mentions.

Students earning recognition represent Catonsville, Dulaney, Eastern Tech, Franklin, George Washington Carver Center, Hereford, Overlea, Patapsco, Perry Hall, Sparrows Point, Towson, and Western Tech high schools, and Parkville, Perry Hall, and Sudbrook Magnet middle schools.

“The talent and dedication of our students combined with the strength of our teachers and academic program yields undeniable results,” said Interim Superintendent Verletta White. “We are so proud of this next generation of visual artists and writers. Their skills and creativity inspire us all.”

The 655 visual art awards BCPS students received is a new record for the school system and represents about 15 percent of the visual arts awards presented for the entire eastern region. The number of visual arts awards BCPS receives has grown for the past several years from 330 in 2015 to 483 in 2016, and 536 in 2017 – to 655 in 2018.

“A huge congratulations to our BCPS middle and high school visual arts students and their teachers,” said Sherri Fisher, BCPS coordinator of visual arts. “Recognition in these prestigious awards is no small feat. It takes considerable time to prepare and submit artwork and portfolios. We thank the teachers and students for taking the extra time to do this, and we join them in celebrating the incredible creative and artistic abilities of the young artists across BCPS.”

The Scholastic Art & Writing Awards, sponsored by the Alliance for Young Artists & Writers, began in 1923 to honor talented writers and artists in Grades 7 – 12. Of those works reviewed by professionals in visual and literary arts, students earned Honorable Mention, Silver Keys, or Gold Keys in regional adjudication. Works designated as Gold Keys are currently receiving a national-level review; the national awards will be released to student artists and writers later this spring.

Since its founding, the Awards program has identified the early promise of some of our nation’s most exceptional visionaries. Alumni include artists Andy Warhol, Philip Pearlstein, and Cy Twombly; writers Sylvia Plath, Truman Capote, Ned Vizzini, and Joyce Carol Oates; photographer Richard Avedon; actors Frances Farmer, Robert Redford, Alan Arkin, Lena Dunham, and John Lithgow; fashion designer Zac Posen; and filmmakers Stan Brakhage, Richard Linklater, and Ken Burns.

Scholastic Visual Arts Awards 2018

Gold Key

Parkville Middle School
Kiran Shere-Wolfe, Painting, A Train to Heaven

Perry Hall High School
Alexandra Bellman, Drawing & Illustration, Katrina
Alexandra Bellman, Drawing & Illustration, Siesta
Cassie Li, Digital Art, Stranger’s Habitat
Crystal Weyant, Drawing & Illustration, Lilium

Perry Hall Middle School
Ezinwa Agbo, Drawing & Illustration, Beauty Standards
Caroline Boteler, Drawing & Illustration, Tea Time
Grace Duong, Sculpture, Double Crane
Tiffany Lu, Sculpture, Within a Deer Skull

Silver Key

Overlea High School
Darrick Chu, Photography, Within

Perry Hall High School
Sonata Allen, Drawing & Illustration, She’s the Bees Knees
Emily Flach, Drawing & Illustration, Boost
Emily Flach, Drawing & Illustration, Baby Brother
Emily Flach, Mixed Media, Dimitri
Seth Phillips, Digital Art, Identity
Morgan Thomas, Painting, Monuments

Perry Hall Middle School
Grace Duong, Drawing & Illustration, Office Supplies

Honorable Mentions

Eastern Technical High School
Nadia Nazar, Film & Animation, Eye
Nadia Nazar, Painting, “Save the humans first.”

Overlea High School
Darrick Chu, Photography, Contact
Mohammad Maswadeh, Photography, Untitled
Talia Robinson, Photography, Aerial

Parkville Middle School
Kiran Shere-Wolfe, Painting, Autumn in a Book
Kiran Shere-Wolfe, Painting, A Skull with Kaleidoscope Eyes
Kiran Shere-Wolfe, Sculpture, Garden of Unearthly Delights

Perry Hall High School
Sonata Allen, Drawing & Illustration, Arachnophobia
Alexandra Bellman, Drawing & Illustration, Looking Up
Mackenzie Brewer, Painting, Cheese
Mackenzie Brewer, Painting, Pie
Cassie Li, Painting, Planar in Color
Janae Little, Photography, Just a little bit of life
Erika Stiles, Drawing & Illustration, Jimmy
Crystal Weyant, Drawing & Illustration, Before Time

Perry Hall Middle School
Joslyn Kim, Drawing & Illustration, “Life’s Purpose”

Scholastic Writing Awards 2018

Silver Key

Perry Hall High School
Cassie Li, Poetry, 24 Hours Later

Lists of all BCPS students who received Scholastic Awards in visual arts and writing can be found online. Also online are searchable lists of all visual arts and all writing regional awards presented.

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