We are thrilled and honored to announce that 14 Senior High students won more than 50 awards at this year’s Scholastic Eastern Regional Awards Show. These talented students and their awards are:

• McKenna Barker: 5 Honorable Mentions, 1 Silver Key, and 1 Gold Key
• Liz Curry: 2 Honorable Mentions, 3 Silver Keys, and 1 Gold Key
• Nicolette Gavrilovici: 1 Honorable Mention and 1 Gold Key 
• Gwynne Geedy: 2 Honorable Mentions, 1 Gold Key, and an American Vision nominee
• Morgan Herb: 3 Honorable Mentions and 3 Silver Keys
• Kai Taylor: 2 Honorable Mentions and 1 Gold Key
• Dominic Wodika: 1 Honorable Mention
• Mia Herner: 2 Honorable Mentions and 1 Silver Key
• Gabi Istenes: 6 Honorable Mentions and 2 Silver Keys
• Lydia Long: 2 Honorable Mentions
• Kat Patchell: 3 Honorable Mentions and 2 Silver Keys
• Katie Ryan: 3 Honorable Mentions
• Ava Strauss: 1 Gold Key
• Naelah King: 1 Gold Key and an American Vision nominee

Qualifying artwork has been selected for display and further competition with other regional winners at Kutztown University from February 18th through March 5th. Students who won Gold Keys are eligible to compete for national awards, and American Vision Award nominees will be eligible to compete for the National American Vision Award. Finalists from the regional awards will be announced on March 5th at Kutztown University and will be eligible to compete for scholarships, recognition and exhibition on a national level.

The Scholastic Art & Writing Awards recognize student achievement in the visual and literary arts in 28 categories, including drawing and illustration, photography, flash fiction, poetry, film and animation, journalism, and more. Last year, more than 260,000 works of art and writing were submitted by teens from every state in the nation, as well as American territories and Canada. Works by 40,000 teens received regional recognition, and nearly 2,000 works earned national awards, including 2022 Exeter grad Joanna Knepper’s glass sculpture, “She’s Lost Her Marbles,” which was displayed in New York City’s Carnegie Hall last June as part of the national competition.

For the past 100 years, the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards, which are the nation’s longest running and most prestigious program for creative teens in grades 7 through 12, have empowered creative teens and celebrated their voices by bolstering their artistic and literary futures through opportunities for publication, exhibition and scholarships. The Awards encourage students to build confidence as creative individuals and to trust that their voice is important. Many esteemed artists and writers received some of their earliest validation from the Awards, including Andy Warhol, Tschabalala Self, Joyce Carol Oates, Kay WalkingStick, Charles White and Stephen King.