STUNNING Scholastic Success WRITING
Of the 340,000 works of art and writing submitted this year to the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards, only about 10 percent were awarded regional Gold Key status and moved on to national judging. Of those Gold Key works, only 10 percent received national awards, and this year an incredible nine HB students have been recognized with 10 national Gold and Silver medals in writing. Jessica Chang ’21, Stephanie Kaiser ’19, Anna Keresztesy ’20, Rebecca Oet ’20, Sejal Sangani ’20, and Vala Schriefer ’19 were awarded medals in Poetry; Yardena Carmi ’19, Galia Madfis ’20, and Harleigh Markowitz ’20 in Personal Essay/Memoir; and senior Stephanie Kaiser is one of only 11 students in the country to receive the Silver Medal with Distinction award for a Writing Portfolio. Stephanie’s portfolio, Boundary, consists of poetry, personal essays, and an introductory writer’s statement. She is the first HB student to receive this prestigious award. In addition to being recognized at Carnegie Hall, Stephanie will receive a $1,000 scholarship for her achievement. Stephanie also has been awarded the American Voices medal, a special best-in-region award selected by the national judges.
ART
Two Upper School students and one Middle School student earned national medals in this highly selective competition. Congratulations are in order for Amy Howarth ’20, Gold Medal recipient in printmaking for “Student Driver,” Vala Schriefer ’19, Silver Medal winner for “Couter” in the photography category, and Sophia Onysko ’23, national photography silver medalist for “Dancing Dragons.”