North Dakota Students Announced as 2017 Regional Scholastic Art & Writing Award Recipients

RRVWP TC Nancy Devine was the featured speaker, all photos by NDSU student Guo Chen

Young Artists and Writers Recognized by Plains Art Museum and Red River Valley Writing Project for their Original Works

Plains Art Museum and Red River Valley Writing Project at NDSU have announced the regional award recipients of the 2017 Scholastic Art & Writing Awards. Presented by the nonprofit organization, the Alliance for Young Artists & Writers, the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards are the country's longest-running and most prestigious scholarship and recognition program for creative students in grades 7–12. This program year, more than 330,000 works of art and writing were submitted to 118 Affiliate regions across the country. In North Dakota, about 400 works were submitted—double from the previous year. Eighty-three creative teens from around the state of North Dakota received regional honors, including Gold Keys, Silver Keys, Honorable Mentions, and/or American Visions & Voices nominations, from the local Affiliate including:

Art Award Winners

·       Katelyn Arman, Fargo North High School, Fargo. American Visions nominee, Gold Key, Two Honorable Mentions.

·       Kaylee Bartram, Kindred High School, Kindred. Honorable Mention.

·       Mickayla Beckman, Fargo North High School, Fargo. Honorable Mention.

·       Micheala Dale, Grand Forks Central High School, Grand Forks. Two Gold Keys, Four Honorable Mentions.

·       Emily Dencker, Grand Forks Central High School, Grand Forks. Silver Key, Two Honorable Mentions.

·       Sophia Dorsher, Grand Forks Central High School, Grand Forks. American Visions nominee, Gold Key, Three Honorable Mentions.

·       Leighton Fitch, Kindred High School, Hickson. Honorable Mention.

·       Josie Hell, Fargo North High School, Fargo. Honorable Mention.

·       Anna Hendrickson, Grand Forks Central High School, Grand Forks. Three Honorable Mentions.

·       Zach Howatt, Northern Cass Public School, Argusville. Two Honorable Mentions.

·       Taylor Johnson, Erik Ramstad Middle School, Minot. Honorable Mention.

·       Ellen Kenninger, Fargo North High School, Fargo. Honorable Mention.

·       Joanna Larson, Grand Forks Central High School, Grand Forks. Honorable Mention.

·       Shania Lunski, Fargo North High School, Fargo. Honorable Mention.

·       Benjamin Miller, Fargo North High School,  Fargo. Honorable Mention.

·       Emmy Mirzai, St. Mary's Central High School, Bismarck. Two Honorable Mentions.

·       Katie Morrau, Fargo South High School, Fargo. Honorable Mention.

·       Alysha Moser, Lake Area Career & Tech Center, Devils Lake. Honorable Mention.

·       Ellie Noah, Shanley-Sullivan School, Fargo. Honorable Mention.

·       Emily Plutowski, Minto School, Minto. Honorable Mention.

·       Greta Rehder, Fargo North High School, Fargo. Silver Key.

·       Alessandro Sassi, Fargo South High School, Fargo. Silver Key.

·       Kelly Schlagel, Fargo South High School, Fargo. American Visions nominee, Gold Key, Honorable Mention.

·       Jerry Sherven, Kindred High School, Walcott. Honorable Mention.

·       Elina Smith, Fargo South High School, Fargo. Silver Key.

·       Elise Spears, Turtle Mountain Community Middle School, Rolla. Honorable Mention.

·       Elaina Springer, Fargo North High School, Fargo. Honorable Mention.

·       Megan Tichy, Maple Valley High School, Tower City. Two American Visions nominations, Three Gold Keys, Three Silver Keys, Four Honorable Mentions.

·       Rebeca Trautman, Central Cass Public School, Casselton. Honorable Mention.

·       McKenna Truhlicka, Fargo North High School, Fargo. Honorable Mention.

·       Alexandria Weber, Grand Forks Central High School, Grand Forks. Two Silver Keys, Two Honorable Mentions.

·      Koszette Zakula, Fargo North High School, Fargo. Honorable Mention.

 

Student Award Winners await their moment to go up to the podium

Writing Award Winners

·       Gus Aaland, Kindred High School, Christine. Silver Key.

·       Scobie Bathie, Fargo North High School, Fargo. Silver Key.

·       Tiffany Brunelle, Turtle Mountain Community Middle School, Belcourt. Gold Key.

·       Bennett Carter, Park River Area High School, Inkster. Silver Key.

·       Michelle Chadraa, Davies High School, Fargo. Silver Key.

·       Gracyn Cole, Park River Area High School, Park River. Honorable Mention.

·       Lenora Combs, Divide Co High School, Noonan. Gold Key, Three Silver Keys, Honorable Mention.

·       Tonya Conway, Circle Of Nations School, Wahpeton. Honorable Mention.

·       Morgan Depute, Mls-Mohall Public School, Mohall. Two Silver Keys.

·       Zoie Frattin, Valley Middle School, Grand Forks. Honorable Mention.

·       Emily Frovarp, Park River Area High School, Park River. Gold Key.

·       Alison Gaarsland, Fargo South High School, Fargo. Gold Key.

·       Kaitlyn Gabrielson, Valley Middle School, Grand Forks. Silver Key.

·       Atlantis Hanks, Circle Of Nations School, Wahpeton. Honorable Mention.

·       Hunter Harrington, Fargo North High School, Fargo. Silver Key.

·       Zach Howatt, Northern Cass Public School, Argusville. Two Gold Keys, Silver Key.

·       Jarod Jeglum, Divide Co High School, Crosby. Honorable Mention.

·       Alyssa Jordahl, Kindred High School, Leonard. Honorable Mention.

·       Beatrice Kjelland, Park River Area High School, Park River. Silver Key.

·       Jessica Klein, Hazen Middle School, Hazen. Honorable Mention.

·       Patrick Loar, Valley Middle School, Grand Forks. Gold Key.

·       Evelynn Longtine, Valley Middle School, Grand Forks. Honorable Mention.

·       Sydney Lunde, Kindred High School, Kindred. Silver Key.

·       Toni McHugo, Davies High School, Fargo. Honorable Mention.

·       Esperance Mfurakazi, Fargo South High School, Fargo. Gold Key.

·       Maris Miller, Park River Area High School, Park River. Honorable Mention.

·       Eahia Mohamed Ali, Fargo South High School, Fargo. Honorable Mention.

·       Brigid O'Keefe, Fargo North High School, Fargo. Two Honorable Mentions.

·       Cheyenne Olien, Kindred High School, Davenport. Gold Key.

·       Karl Olson, Circle Of Nations School, Wahpeton. Silver Key.

·       Ifedayo Omotunde, Park River Area High School, Park River. Two Silver Keys.

·       Osman Osman, Fargo South High School, Fargo. Silver Key.

·       Emilya Parker, Divide Co High School, Larson. Silver Key.

·       Abigail Petersen, Ashley School, Ashley. Honorable Mention.

·       Emma Pickrel, Davies High School, Fargo. Honorable Mention.

·       Cheyenne Powless, Circle Of Nations School, Wahpeton. Honorable Mention.

·       Melissa Pratt, Kindred High School, Kindred. Gold Key.

·       Jules Regen, White Shield Public School, Parshall. Honorable Mention.

·       Faith Ritchie, Grand Forks Central High School, Grand Forks. Two Honorable Mentions.

·       Coltan Roquet, Fargo North High School, Fargo. Gold Key.

·       MaKenna Rott, Kindred High School, Walcott. Silver Key.

·       Alessandro Sassi, Fargo South High School, Fargo. Three Gold Keys, Silver Key, Three Honorable Mentions.

·       Anushka Sikdar, Cheney Middle School, Fargo. Honorable Mention.

·       Tanessa Skadberg, Watford City High School, Watford City. Gold Key.

·       Hannah Slater, Fargo North High School, Fargo. Silver Key.

·       Dayton Snow, Circle Of Nations School, Wahpeton. Honorable Mention.

·       Casey Solseng, Park River Area High School, Park River. Silver Key.

·       Rebeca Trautman, Central Cass Public School, Casselton. Silver Key, Honorable Mention.

·       Braden Vetter, Sheyenne High School, Fargo. Two Honorable Mentions.

·       Anna Wurzer, Davies High School, Fargo. Two Gold Keys, Two Silver Keys, Honorable Mention.

·      Tobias Zikmund, Park River Area High School, Pisek. Honorable Mention.

 

RRVWP TC Olivia Edwardson, along with Plains Art representative Katherine Rieck, hand out award packets

In celebration of this year’s regional recipients, the ND state awards ceremony will take place on Saturday, March 4^th from 5:30-8pm at Plains Art Museum. NDSU Dean of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences is a featured speaker. North Dakota teacher and published poet Nancy Devine will read from her work. Student Award winners will be honored. The Fargo South Jazz Combo will perform during the reception from 5:30-6:30pm.

Since the program’s founding in 1923, the Awards have fostered the creativity and talent of millions of students, including renowned alumni who have gone on to become leaders in their fields, including Andy Warhol, Truman Capote, Richard Avedon, Philip Pearlstein, and Sylvia Plath. More recently, Stephen King, Richard Linklater, Zac Posen, and Lena Dunham received Scholastic Art & Writing Awards when they were teens.

For Gold Key works of art and writing in the Awards’ 29 categories, including architecture, painting, flash fiction, poetry, printmaking, video game design, and more, the opportunities for recognition will continue when those works are adjudicated again on a national level by a panel of leading creative professionals. National Gold Medalists will be announced March 14, 2017 and will be honored during a special awards ceremony at the world-famous Carnegie Hall in New York City on June 8, 2017. All National Medal recipients are eligible for a wealth of additional opportunities, such as inclusion in the Art.Write.Now.Tour traveling exhibition and The Best Teen Writing anthology. National Medalist poets are considered for the National Student Poets Program, the nation’s highest honor for young poets presenting original work.

A complete list of 2017 regional Scholastic Art & Writing Awards Gold Key recipients is available online at artandwriting.org.

RRVWP TC Lisa Gusewelle, along with Sheyenne Honors Society Student Morgan Allard, sell anthologies 

 “There is tremendous youth talent in the fields of art and writing in the state of North Dakota, and we are grateful that the Awards provide an opportunity for us to recognize that talent in a meaningful way,” said Kelly Sassi, Director of the Red River Valley Writing Project.

“Richard Avedon spoke of his Scholastic Award as ‘the defining moment of my life,’ and we’ve seen this sentiment echoed over the years,” said Virginia McEnerney, Executive Director of the Alliance for Young Artists & Writers. “It continues to be a privilege to bring students’ voices and visions into the world, and to see how they rise up to the occasion of having their creative work taken seriously. The Scholastic Awards program is an incredible source of inspiration for everyone involved, from participating students, to their educators and families, to our alums. ”

RRVWP TC Nathan Kurtti awaits recognition as the educator of an award winner

SPONSORS: The Alliance is grateful for its generous sponsors who provide funds to support and produce the Scholastic Awards at the national level: Scholastic Inc., The Maurice R. Robinson Fund, Command Web Offset Co., The New York Times, the New York Life Foundation, The Herb Block Foundation, Blick Art Materials & Utrecht Art Supplies, the Royal Bank of Canada, the Gedenk Movement, Golden Artist Colors, Neiman Marcus, Bloomberg Philanthropies, the ESA Foundation, the National Endowment for the Arts, Creative Circle, the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, and Amazon Literary Partnership; numerous other individual, foundation, and corporate funders; and, for the National Student Poets Program, the President’s Committee on the Arts and the Humanities, the Institute of Museum and Library Services, the Poetry Foundation, the Bernstein Family Foundation, and the Academy of American Poets. The North Dakota Affiliate is grateful to Cashwise and Family Fare for their donations to the ceremony on March 4, 2017.

Dean Kent Sandstrom addresses the crowd about the importance of the arts and humanities in our world

For more information about the Alliance for Young Artists & Writers and the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards, visit the Scholastic News Room: http://mediaroom.scholastic.com/artandwriting.

For more information about the North Dakota region awards, contact Kelly.Sassi@ndsu.edu.