Penn student-artists honored in Scholastic Art competition

Posted on February 1, 2016

“Mask,” by Mackenzie Griman 

From mosaic masks that featured a dazzling kaleidoscope of color, to visionary photography that encased social commentary, Penn High School students took their artist creativity and expression to higher levels through the Scholastic Art competition.

Penn students claimed 57 awards at three levels (Gold Key, Silver Key, Honorable Mention) regionally. The art of Gold Key winners will be in a competition at the national level in New York City.

Click here for a gallery of some of the award-winning art.

All three levels will be displayed for a public exhibition in the Warner Gallery at the South Bend Museum of Art in the Century Center from January 30th to Feb 27th.

Principal Steve Hope appreciated the showing of Penn’s student-artists.

“It was great to see so many student-artists from Penn recognized at the regional Scholastic Arts Awards,” Hope said. “The work from these creative and talented students is varied in subject and media from realistic to abstract and from drawing to sculpture. The work displayed at The South Bend Museum of Art is a testament to the hard work put forth by these student-artists and to the great art instruction at Penn High School. We should never take for granted the benefits of living in a community which values and supports the arts.

“In this age of both teacher and student accountability, many schools have cut programming to the arts,” Hope said. “At Penn, we have continued to emphasize the development of the whole person – body, mind and soul. The arts feed our soul and help us develop a better understanding of ourselves and our place in the world. Decades of research have supported that study in the arts help further develop an understanding in all academic areas.”

According to a Scholastic Art press release, the Scholastic Art competition is nation’s longest-running and most prestigious recognition initiative for creative teens. It has been credited with identifying the early promise of some of our nation’s most accomplished visionaries and encouraged young artists and writers to pursue a variety of creative career paths and endeavors.

Penn High School art instructor Barbara Miller said the Scholastic Art competition for high school and junior high school students is in its 92nd year and that it involves students in all 50 states. It is sponsored by the Scholastic Book Company.

“Penn and (Penn-Harris-Madison School Corporation) have always been in the top 10, if not the top three-to-five 3-5 for earning awards of about 72 schools in our region,” Miller said. “That is important to help recognize our hard-working students and our outstanding visual arts program and the quality teaching that takes place in our schools.”

Miller said that the Scholastic Award winning-work by Penn students will be displayed in the Kingsmen Fine Arts Gallery March 10-April 18.

“We have three professional art exhibits and three student art exhibits in our Penn Kingsmen Fine Arts Gallery each school year,” Miller said. “We are very fortunate to have this gallery. It is something that few schools in our state, or even country have. It was originally the vision of our principal, Steve Hope, to have this and he worked for many years with the P-H-M Educational Foundation to establish it.”

Art Instructor Becky Hope also appreciated Penn’s commitment to Art, which has played a key role in the success of Penn students in the Scholastic Art competition.

“Penn has supported the Visual Arts through providing an amazingly diverse selection of teachers in specialized course art work so that student can develop master skills in drawing, graphic design and sculpture to name a few of the opportunities,” Hope said.

Penn High School Scholastic Art Awards 2015-16

Penn Student

Award

Category

Teacher

Olivia Adam

Honorable Mention

Design

A. Verzatt

Mariah Anderson

Honorable Mention

Mixed Media

B. Miller

Deniz Arikan

Gold Key

Photography

B. Dunham

Deniz Arikan

Silver Key

Photography

B. Dunham

Mckenzie Blankenbaker

Honorable Mention

Drawing

B. Miller

Sid Clark

Silver Key

Sculpture

B. McKechnie

Emma Daggy

Honorable Mention

Mixed Media

B. Miller

James Darr

Silver Key

Sculpture

B. Brown

Sydney DeMeyer

Honorable Mention

Sculpture

B. McKechnie

Brianna Edgerly

Honorable Mention

Photography

B. Dunham

Joseph Emery

Gold Key

Sculpture

B. McKechnie

Amelia Frasier

Silver Key

Photography

B. Dunham

Isabella Gianesi

Silver Key

Design

A. Verzatt

Kira Goudy

Silver Key

Drawing

B. Miller

Mackenzie Griman

Silver Key

Sculpture

B. Hope

Miranda Hans

Silver Key

Photography

B. Dunham

Payton Holland

Honorable Mention

Sculpture

B. McKechnie

Jack Hollowell

Gold Key

Photography

B. Dunham

Jack Hollowell

Silver Key

Photography

B. Dunham

Jack Hollowell

Silver Key

Photography

B. Dunham

Bryce Holt

Gold

Drawing

B. Miller

Bryce Holt

Honorable Mention

Printmaking

B. Miller

Mic Hughes

Honorable Mention

Sculpture

B. McKechnie

Abby Jones

Gold Key

Photography

B. Dunham

Abby Jones

Gold Key

Photography

B. Dunham

Emily Latham

Silver Key

Sculpture

B. McKechnie

Bobbie Mammolenti

Gold Key

Photography

B. Dunham

Bobbie Mammolenti

Gold Key

Photography

B. Dunham

Emmi Meyer

Honorable Mention

Design

A. Verzatt

Lacey Milcherska

Honorable mention

Photography

B. Dunham

Michaela Palicki

Gold key

Photography

B. Dunham

Eliana Peterson

Honorable Mention

Drawing

B. Miller

Jason Reinoehl

Honorable Mention

Drawing

B. Miller

Matt Rzeszutko

Silver Key

Printmaking

B. Miller

Emily Schultz

Honorable Mention

Photography

B. Dunham

Courtney Seigel

Gold Key

Photography

B. Dunham

Courtney Seigel

Silver Key

Digital

B. Dunham

Taylor Sharpe

Honorable Mention

Photography

B. Dunham

Eric Spaargaren

Silver Key

Design

A. Verzatt

Leigha Sparrow

Honorable Mention

Mixed Media

B. Miller

Madeline Strintz

Silver Key

Photography

B. Dunham

Madeline Strintz

Silver Key

Photography

B. Dunham

Ashley Szumski

Gold Key

Photography

B. Dunham

Ashley Szumski

Gold Key

Photography

B. Dunham

Ashley Szumski

Gold Key

Photography

B. Dunham

Sabrina Thayer

Silver Key

Design

A. Verzatt

Sabrina Thayer

Honorable Mention

Design

A. Verzatt

Akane Tokusumi

Gold Key

Drawing

B. Miller

Akane Tokusumi

Honorable Mention

Printmaking

B. Miller

Noemi Toroczkai

Honorable Mention

Printmaking

B. Miller

Katie Turner

Honorable Mention

Photography

B. Dunham

Katie Turner

Honorable Mention

Design

A. Verzatt

Breyanne Urbin

Gold Key

Printmaking

B. Miller

Emily Wennerstrom

Honorable Mention

Drawing

B. Miller

Austin White

Gold Key

Digital

B. Dunham

Madason Whittaker

Silver Key

Printmaking

B. Miller

Kacey Wood

Silver Key

Photography

B. Dunham

Last Modified January 12, 2022