Mar 30, 2007 3 min read

WAYNESBURG – Waynesburg College initiated a Scholastic Art and Writing Awards of Southwestern Pennsylvania program to honor local students in 2003. This year, 222 pieces of student writing and art arrived for judging. This past January and February, students from a three-county area submitted more than 500 pieces of writing and art.

Since Jan. 29, guests were able to view 206 scholastic art entries at the Benedum Fine Arts Gallery and in the Performing Arts Center on Waynesburg’s campus.

Nationally, the Scholastic Art and Writing Awards have encouraged young writers and artists since 1923. By recognizing and rewarding the visions and voices of emerging artists throughout the country, the awards have nurtured eight decades of promising talent.

The Scholastic Committee at Waynesburg presented the following awards during their local exhibition: The American Visions Award, Gold Key, Silver Key and Merit Awards.

Each Gold Key Award and American Vision Award then go on for national judging in New York City. There, a panel of artists, writers and educators and other art and writing professionals judge award-winning work from 90 other regions representing all parts of the country – from Alaska to Florida to New England.

In early June, the national award recipients and their families and teachers will be honored at the National Scholastic Art and Writing Awards ceremony at Carnegie Hall in New York City.

The Albert Gallatin students receiving awards this year were as follows:

Writing Awards

– Leann Rerko, Merit for Writing Portfolio coached by English teacher Mary Ellen Jones.

– Sarah Honsaker, Silver Key coach by English teacher April Serock.

Art Awards

– Maria Oros, Silver Key for Printmaking II, linoleum print titled “Bent,” coach by art teacher Madelyn Cindric.

– Adomas Povilianskas, Silver Key for Printmaking II, monoprint titled “Silent Massacre,” coached by Cindric.

– Wes Stewart, Merit Award for linoleum print “Under the Sea,” coached by Cindric.

– Jessica Rennie, Merit Award for Printmaking II, linoleum cut titled “Golden Basket,” coached by art teacher Sharon Sementa-Bunyan.

– Nicole Hoover, Merit Award for Sculpture II, sculpey/wire sculpture titled “Laughter Springs,” coached by Sementa-Bunyan.

Albert Gallatin also had additional students whose work was juried into the show, earning a “show” designation, scholastic equivalent of honorable mention. They were Jessica Barton, Elizabeth Cook, Sarah Honsaker, Jessie Renox, Sarah Scholar, Troy Volansky and Richard Wilson. These students worked under the tutelage of Cindric or Bunyan.

The Scholastic Program is a partner of the Community Foundation of Greene County. Additional funding was provided to Scholastic by The Observer Reporter newspaper and CONSOL Energy, as well as other patrons such as Pennsylvania Rural Arts Alliance and Waynesburg College.