Avery Cotton, Reporter
@averyccourant
Faced by the daunting prospect of hours of homework and studying, most students scroll through social media or text their friends upon returning home to get away from it all. But a select few might retrieve their paint palettes, dip their brushes into the cool liquid, and begin transforming empty canvases into masterpieces.
Each year, students submit their work to the CT Scholastic Awards, which are administered by a non-profit organization called the Alliance for Young Writers and Artists. “All participants submit their work to one program, but the competition is run on a regional level and students initially win awards on a regional level,” junior and 2021 Silver Key winner Avery Morawa said. According to Avery, if a student receives a Gold Key award in this “first round”, their submissions will get judged on a national level.
Beyond honoring the students’ accomplishments, the competition can provide unique opportunities for students to express their creativity. In some cases, such as Avery’s, this involves combining two interests to produce a compelling final product. “I created this specific piece to represent how people are affected and changed by interpersonal relationships by using vasculature and skeletal anatomy to depict this idea,” Avery said. “I am extremely passionate about both science and art and tried to unite the two fields through my artwork,” she said.
Over the years, a variety of artwork has been produced by local students, ranging from photography to printmaking. Senior and Honorable Mention winner Marina Mallozzi submitted a surrealistic photo to last year’s competition. “I have always loved photography and capturing fun, interesting, eye-captivating things in the moment,” Marina said.
To help students who are submitting work, the art faculty provides meaningful feedback and resources to guide students. “My teacher’s feedback definitely helped me create my final work because it allowed me to step back and look at my work in a completely different manner,” Marina said. “The awards program is excellent, as it recognizes teachers as the base connection for students who are looking to submit their work.”
In this year’s competition, sophomore Kailey Marti won a Gold Key for her painting of her childhood home’s kitchen. “I’ve been doing art since I was little, and I was looking to expand on what I’ve done with different types of media,” Kailey said. “This was my first time doing an oil painting, so I did a lot of experimenting, but my teacher, Ms. Core, was there for me. It was great to have her for support.”
In addition, the awards program is very open, accepting a wide variety of submissions. “The scholastic program accepts all types of art and media. There aren’t any specific criteria that have to be met,” Kailey said. Like many other students, Kailey submitted multiple pieces of artwork to the competition, winning an Honorable Mention on her other submission.
Furthermore, there are other opportunities for students to pursue art outside of school. “There are lots of opportunities for students to exhibit their work at local venues, including the Carriage Barn Center in New Canaan, as well as galleries and museums in Westport, Norwalk, Fairfield, and more,” art teacher Jennifer Sinski said. “There is really so much happening in the county.”
The competition is also open to aspiring authors, allowing student writers to submit entries in a wide array of categories. Freshman Tahlia Scherer won a Gold Key for her personal essay on how the year 2020 affected her, as well as a Silver Key for a poem. “It’s hard to put your work out there, but once you do, it can be really rewarding and motivating,” Tahlia said.
Due to the lack of rigid guidelines, a student might find that, for example, a piece they wrote for an English class is eligible for the competition. “The poem that I wrote that won a Silver Key was for school, so I just added onto it. I started the personal essay for a separate contest last year, so I went off the prompt for that contest and I wrote about how the year 2020 affected me,” Tahlia said. “I find it hard to start writing, but the prompt definitely helped guide me.”
Another winner of this year’s writing contest was senior Julie Song. Julie submitted a personal essay about her experience growing up as Asian-American in addition to a journalism piece inspired by protests against the anti-Asian hate movement, which she won a Gold Key and an Honorable Mention for respectively. “I think writing is one of the best forms of expression, because people can’t deny you your voice,” Julie said.
According to Julie, students planning on submitting work to next year’s competition should not worry about the application process. “Get an English teacher to read your piece and sponsor you, and who knows – you might get an award,” Julie said.
