Two Dozen Works by Oliver Ames High School Students Receive Recognitions Through Scholastic Art and Writing Awards Program

EASTON — Superintendent Lisha Cabral, Oliver Ames High School Principal Kelly Cavanaugh and Art Department Chair Kristyn Shea are pleased to announce that numerous Oliver Ames students have been recognized as part of this year’s Scholastic Art & Writing Awards.

The Scholastic Art & Writing Awards, which celebrates its 100th anniversary this year, is the nation’s longest-running recognition program for creative teens. Students in grades 7-12 (ages 13 and up) can apply in 28 categories of art and writing. All entries are considered for Gold Key, Silver Key and Honorable Mention, as well as other recognitions. 

The Massachusetts region of the program is presented by The Boston Globe and the School of the Museum of Fine Arts at Tufts University (SMFA).

Oliver Ames’ advanced artists received 24 placements with six Gold Keys, 10 Silver Keys and eight Honorable Mentions. Their works were completed with various media, including watercolor, colored pencil, charcoal, oil and acrylic paint, and more.

“These students are the most advanced group in the building, having taken art for several consecutive years at OA,” Shea said. “I have had the privilege of witnessing them grow into tremendously skilled artists. I am continually in awe of their talent, imagination and the care that they put into all that they do, and I am so honored to be on this creative journey with them as their art teacher.” 

Gold Key Works

The Oliver Ames students who received Gold Key awards, along with their explanations for their piece, include: 

• Abigail Glover, senior, for “America Steps on Dunkin’”
  • “Unfortunately, litter and pollution have become commonplace in both our community and the rest of the world. This piece is intended to bring awareness to this issue and how it affects our community.”
• Alexander Pierce, senior, for “Biking”
  • “I love being outside and exercising. I run cross country but because I got injured during the fall season, I had to bike instead of run, so working on this piece was really meaningful to me. I really wanted to capture the freedom that exercise brings me with the piece.”
• Samantha Johnson, junior, for “J as in Johnson”
  • “This drawing is special to me because it is my mom’s favorite piece of mine. The J balloon is significant because it stands for my last name (Johnson) and it acts as a symbol for my family.”
• Samantha Johnson, junior, for “Crunchin’ and Munchin’”
  • “This artwork demonstrates my late-night studying sessions during finals. Hilliards chocolate bars have become my go-to study snack because of finals last year. I wanted to capture what it felt like to be awake at midnight, cramming for my exams.”
• Naomi Marcus, junior, for “Made in Canada 1937”
  • “This composition represents both my love for creating art, and my own personal history. By drawing a handful of paintbrushes in that particular jar, which was made in Canada like myself, I was able to express several aspects of my own identity in a way that I felt summarized who I am.”
• Naomi Marcus, junior, for “Queens”
  • “This drawing depicts an intense chess match, the winning move about to be played. It was inspired, not only by the many intelligent women who have changed the game of chess, but by the powerful confidence and admirable tenacity that I believe women all over the world display daily.”

Silver Key Works 

The Oliver Ames students who received Silver Key awards, along with their explanations for their piece, include: 

• Sofia Belanger, senior, for “Mormor’s Necklace”
  • “I am inspired by the connections with my family for my artwork. The necklace that I portrayed held in my hand is from my grandmother, so it has a special place in my heart.”
• Leah Curtin, senior, for “Did Someone Step in Gum?”
  • “Inspired by a pet peeve, this piece captures the sticky and unfortunate experience of stepping in gum.”
• Madison Gray, senior, for “Under Pressure”
  • “The feelings of stress and pressure that accommodate having an approaching deadline is what I was inspired by for this composition.”
• Abigail Hagerty, senior, for “What’s Your Favorite Scary Movie?”
  • “I watch a lot of horror movies with my friends so I wanted to capture the fear and emotion that is portrayed in those movies.”
• Abigail Hagerty, senior, for “Junior Year”
  • “This composition captures how overwhelming and stressful school can feel, especially when feeling pressure to do well during my junior year.”
• Abigail Hagerty, senior, for “Morning Coffee”
  • “My intention for this painting was to capture my morning routine when I get ready for school, displaying the exhaustion and boredom I feel while making my coffee.”
• Abigail Hagerty, senior, for “Squeeze the Day”
  • “I was inspired by how luminous the grapefruit looked in the lighting and the highlights that emphasized its texture.”
• Ava Norris, senior, for “Nostalgia”
  • “I was intrigued by unique items from different decades that my History teacher had in his classroom; one of those items was a Walkman with a cassette tape. My mom and dad loved that I was inspired by the Walkman because it reminded them of growing up. Being reminded of a childhood memory is simply the best feeling and it makes me happy to know I captured that reminder through my art.”
• Ava Norris, senior, for “Rejected”
  • “A big thing for me and my peers is hearing back from colleges and I wanted to incorporate the frustration of being rejected. I didn’t get into my top school and I felt like crumpling a bunch of papers up when I found out. I illustrated this piece because I knew a lot of my peers would be able to relate to the emotion of this piece.”
• Nicholas Rhodes, senior, for “Message in a Bottle”
  • “In this fast-paced world, I embraced the idea of sending a message without knowing when or if it will ever be read. As someone who has spent a lot of time at the beach hoping that one day I could uncover one of these messages, I thought it would be awesome to represent this dream in my piece.”

Honorable Mention 

The Oliver Ames students who received Honorable Mention awards, along with their explanations for their piece, include: 

• Sofia Belanger, senior, for “Memories with Mormor”
  • “I was inspired by my heritage. The three compositions that I made were places around the small island my grandmother is from.”
• Nicole Brooks, junior, for “Musician”
  • “As a musician and percussionist in a band, I thought it would be fun to see the reflections off of one of the instruments I played, which is the snare drum.”
• Sophia Byron, senior, for “Trashketball”
  • “The stress of homework can be overwhelming. I illustrated a student carelessly crumpling up their paper in an act of defiance. It signifies how overpowering school work is at times.”
• Madison Gray, senior, for “What’s for Dinner?”
  • “I was inspired by the everyday routine of looking into my refrigerator in seeing the complexity and variety of the different common items.”
• Ashlee Griffith, senior, for “Oops”
  • “My inspiration came from my love of skiing. In the composition, I am depicted fallen down, displaying my determination to always get back up after I fail.”
• Samantha Johnson, junior, for “Shipping Up to Boston”
  • “This piece shows someone in the passenger seat giving directions to the driver while they travel into Boston. This is special because it depicts me going into Boston for my monthly eye doctor appointments. Some of the little details in the composition, such as the hand-made string anklets or the creased sneakers, add an extra level of significance because it not only represents a big part of my life (the appointments) but it also adds little parts of my personality.”
• Jenna Nelson, senior, for “Heist”
  • “The main focal point of the artwork is a porcelain doll which my great grandmother had given me. This piece was inspired by the artwork scandals in the world currently, such as the tomato soup on the ‘Mona Lisa’ and other protests. I made this work to show how delicate art is and how precious it is to the public.”
• Jenna Nelson, senior, for “Snooze”
  • “I created this piece to show how incredibly draining school is to teens in the world today. I wanted to allow others struggling to be able to relate to a piece of art as well as see themselves in it.”

“We are so very proud of our student artists and are pleased to see them recognized through this notable award program,” Principal Cavanaugh said. “These awards are a testament not only to the incredible achievements and dedication of our students, but also the commitment of Ms. Shea and the Art Department at Oliver Ames.”

This year, in art, the Massachusetts region of the program received 7,363 entries, with 508 Gold Keys, 733 Silver Keys and 1,119 Honorable Mentions awarded. Submissions are judged based on their originality, technical skill, and the emergence of a personal voice or vision.

An award ceremony for Silver and Gold Key recipients will be held on March 18. The exhibition of Gold Key art and writing work also will be on display at Breed Hall on the Tufts Medford campus from March 18-25. Gold Key entries are automatically considered for national awards.

Each student recognized at any of the three levels receives a certificate, and Gold and Silver Key recipients will receive a pin.