Revere High School students showcased their creativity at the Scholastic Art and Writing Competition presented by the Alliance for Young Artists and Writers (AYAW).
Students from across the country participated in the Competition through regional affiliate institutions, with the regional award recipients competing at a national event hosted by the AYAW in New York City this summer.
Students in grades 7-12 from Summit, Portage, Stark, Wayne, Medina, and Tuscarawas counties submitted their artwork and writings at Kent State University Stark. Gold and Silver Key Award winners exhibited their works from January 16 to February 1 at the Kent State Fine Arts Building.
Jeff Leadbetter, the Studio Manager for the Art Department of KSU at Stark, the coordinator of the Competition for the past 22 years, said that he saw various creative works from students.
“[Students submitted] just about anything, painting, fashion, digital animation, digital art, architecture. We had some plays this year, which I had not seen before, short stories, flash fiction, just about anything you could think of,” Leadbetter said.
Students who place high in the regional level of the competition will have the opportunity to win scholarships and other rewards.
“Kent State University and the University of Akron both give out scholarships. They always give away at least one scholarship per school, and then there are other smaller organizations to give away cash scholarships to students.” Leadbetter said.
The Cleveland Institute of Art (CIA), a college of art and design and regional affiliate institution for Cuyahoga, Lake, and Geauga counties, also provides several awards for students. Valerie Temple, the Director of Continuing Education and Community Outreach at CIA, said that CIA offers a number of scholarships for college pre-college programs.
“There are awards that they qualify for at the regional level and national level, students can end up earning scholarships for college,” Temple said.
Although not all students win scholarships or prizes, participating in the competitions can have a positive impact on students.
“This scholastic program is really wonderful because it really gives students maybe their first opportunity for recognition for their work,” Temple said.
Jennifer Seegert, an art teacher at Revere High School who has had multiple students participate in the competitions, said that participating helps with a student’s application.
“It’s a nationally recognized competition, so when they get ready to apply for college, they can do that as one of their achievements,” Seegert said
Seegert also said that the competitions help teachers in the classroom.
“It helps us as educators to know if we’re on the right track with the kinds of things we’re doing with them. Seegert said.
Temple noted that the CIA had received over 3,400 submissions in their respective regions, while Leadbetter said that Kent State at Stark had received over 1,900 submissions.
The Revere Gold Key winners of these submissions are Lauren Dera, Julia Earley, Julia Grandon, Kavana Lokesh, Mischa Mudrak, Kennedy Stanley, and Danielle Wissmar.
