Penn art students win national recognition

Two students representing Penn High School’s Fine Arts Academy earned national recognition in the Nation Scholastic Art Competition.

Courtney Seigel  and Akane Tokusumi were each awarded a Silver Medal in the nation’s most prestigious Art competition for high school and junior high school students. Buth Seigel and Tokusumi were Gold Key winners at the regional level.

Seigel won in digital photography for the work, “Little Artists.” Tokusumi won a Silver Medal in scratch drawing.

Scholastic is the largest and longest-running Art competition in the United States. The event is in its 92^nd year.

“It is very prestigious to have a piece chosen as a winner in the regional competition,” Penn High School Art Instructor Barb Miller said. “From the regional, only the Gold Key winners get to compete in the national competition.

“It is extremely prestigious for us to have one chosen as a winner at the national level,” Miller explained. Although, because of limited space at the national level, only the Gold Medal pieces get sent to New York for display and are invited to the awards ceremony, the honor of achieving an award at any level nationally usually brings with it all kinds of scholarship offers and is highly recognized on any collage application. This is a huge honor for Akane Tokusumi and Courtney Seigel.”

Miller praised Tokusumi’s talent and character.

“Akane is an extremely talented and diligent student who I was fortunate enough to have in drawing class for three years here at Penn, and she has also served as a gallery docent for 2 years,” Miller said. “Akane has always listened closely to everything I have tried to teach her, tries to do her best and then takes it beyond my requirements and expectations. She has always earned the highest of marks and I have chosen many of her works for various competitions. She is and amazing artist, student and person!”

Penn High School photography instructor Betsy Dunham lauded Seigel’s accomplishment of winning a national silver medal.

“Courtney is very passionate and talented individual especially when it comes to the arts,” Dunham said. “Every piece she has created you can see how much thought and time she puts into it.  What stands out to me in this piece is how it is put together so seamlessly.  It is very difficult, in taking all the individual pictures correctly and piecing it together just right to make it look realistic.  This image is also not just technically well done but very creative and unique.  It is something that I have not seen before.”

The national achievement of Tokusumi and Siegel is a reflection of the vision, instruction and talent within Penn’s Fine Arts Academy.

“The Scholastic Art and Writing competition is the biggest high school art competition that students are able to participate in, and I am very proud of all the students at Penn who participated,” Dunham said. “It is a great honor to have a student from Penn recognized at a National level for the arts.  The whole fine arts department here at Penn High School has a hand in the success of every student.”