Geibel student earns 23 awards at regional Scholastic show
Amanda Knapp, of Wharton Township, a senior at Geibel Catholic Junior-Senior High School in Connellsville, earned 23 awards in recent competition at the Scholastic Art and Writing Awards of Southwestern Pennsylvania, sponsored by California University. Knapp plans to attend Point Park University in Pittsburgh and major in mortuary science but will continue working with art, saying, “It’s my passion. It’s important to me.’’
Amanda Knapp, of Wharton Township, a senior at Geibel Catholic Junior-Senior High School in Connellsville, earned 23 awards in recent competition at the Scholastic Art and Writing Awards of Southwestern Pennsylvania, sponsored by California University. Knapp is pictured at Geibel with art teacher Julie Yankovich, who said, “I’m so proud of her and, honestly, not very surprised because she is so good at art. For her senior year, it’s good to have her work recognized. I know she does an amazing job but it’s nice for the community to see it.’’
Submitted photo
Amanda Knapp, of Wharton Township, a senior at Geibel Catholic Junior-Senior High School in Connellsville, earned 23 awards in recent competition at the Scholastic Art and Writing Awards of Southwestern Pennsylvania, sponsored by California University. Knapp, pictured at school with many of her entries, said she likes to draw people, noting, “I think the viewer will connect with a person. I feel drawing people is more interesting.’’
Amanda Knapp, of Wharton Township, a senior at Geibel Catholic Junior-Senior High School in Connellsville, earned 23 awards in recent competition at the Scholastic Art and Writing Awards of Southwestern Pennsylvania, sponsored by California University. Knapp, pictured at school with some recent class assignments, plans to attend Point Park University for mortuary science but will continue to make art part of her life, saying, “It’s my passion. It’s important to me.’’
Frances Borsodi Zajac|Herald-Standard
Amanda Knapp, of Wharton Township, a senior at Geibel Catholic Junior-Senior High School in Connellsville, earned 23 awards in recent competition at the Scholastic Art and Writing Awards of Southwestern Pennsylvania, sponsored by California University. Here is one of Knapp’s recent class assignments, a picture that includes the Fayette County Courthouse.
Amanda Knapp, of Wharton Township, a senior at Geibel Catholic Junior-Senior High School in Connellsville, earned 23 awards in recent competition at the Scholastic Art and Writing Awards of Southwestern Pennsylvania, sponsored by California University. Here, Knapp shows off some recent class assignments. In this sketch, she began by taking a shoe and mixing it with different objects that evolved into boots.
Amanda Knapp, of Wharton Township, a senior at Geibel Catholic Junior-Senior High School in Connellsville, earned 23 awards in recent competition at the Scholastic Art and Writing Awards of Southwestern Pennsylvania, sponsored by California University. Here, Knapp shows off a recent class assignment that began with taking a shoe and mixing it with different objects to create a sketch. That led to this sketch of an alien with high boots in respect to singer Nancy Sinatra.
Frances Borsodi Zajac|Herald-Standard
Amanda Knapp, of Wharton Township, a senior at Geibel Catholic Junior-Senior High School in Connellsville, earned 23 awards in recent competition at the Scholastic Art and Writing Awards of Southwestern Pennsylvania, sponsored by California University. Here, Knapp shows off some recent class assignments. This assignment began with taking a shoe and mixing it with different objects to create a sketch. That led to this sketch of an alien with high boots, created with respect to singer Nancy Sinatra.
Amanda Knapp has always enjoyed art.
“As far back as I can remember,” said Knapp, a daughter of Tim and Eileen Knapp of Deer Lake in Wharton Township. “I remember being three years old and drawing. All you need is the want to do it and practice.”
A senior at Geibel Catholic Junior-Senior High School in Connellsville, Knapp’s dedication was recognized when she earned 23 awards in recent competition at the Scholastic Art and Writing Awards of Southwestern Pennsylvania, sponsored by California University for students in Fayette, Westmoreland and Greene counties.
Her awards included seven Gold Keys, three Silver Keys and 13 Honorable Mentions in the categories of drawing and illustration, digital art, painting and poetry.
“I was happy,” said Knapp, who credited her mother for encouraging to enter a lot of pieces. “She ran up to my room when she got the email. She was really happy.”
Knapp is also appreciative of her art teacher, Julie Yankovich.
“She was very excited. She helped me so much,” said Knapp. “I couldn’t have done it without her.”
Yankovich responded, “I’m so proud of her and, honestly, not very surprised because she is so good at art. For her senior year, it’s good to have Amanda’s work recognized. I know she does an amazing job but it’s nice for the community to see it.”
Knapp began taking private art lessons when she was 7 years old from Uniontown artist Tony Sharpe.
“She was my mentor,” said Knapp. “I’m still going to her every once in a while. She was so encouraging. We would listen to music and talk. It was a very relaxed environment.”
Knapp began art lessons at Geibel in the seventh grade, currently taking Honors 2-D Art and Black-and-White Photography. She prefers working with watercolor but also enjoys acrylic and digital art, using a computer to create her pieces for the latter genre.
And while she doesn’t consider herself a poet, Knapp’s piece called “Eternal December” earned a silver award in the regional show. The poem was about her aunt, Mary Catherine Campbell Spegar, who died in 2017.
“I was listening to a song and it made me very emotional and I wanted to write,” Knapp explained.
This is not the first time that Knapp has been honored by Scholastic. She earned six awards in 2018 in regional competition.
Asked what she likes about art, Knapp said, “I like being in control of what I’m doing” and noted she paints and draws every day.
“I prefer drawing people over anything else,” said Knapp. “I think the viewer will connect with a person. I feel drawing people is more interesting – their expressions.”
After graduating high school, Knapp plans to attend Point Park University in Pittsburgh where she will major in mortuary science.
But Knapp also plans to continue working with art, saying, “It’s my passion. It’s important to me.”