Crystal Lake Student Earns National Award in Photography

From Crystal Lake Central High School: Elena Starcher, a senior at Crystal Lake Central High School, was awarded a national silver medal in photography by the Alliance for Young Artists & Writers. Nearly 340,000 works of art and writing were submitted for the 2019 Scholastic Art & Writing Awards, and Starcher is among the top one percent.

“I submitted a few pieces, a photograph, a mixed media piece, and then writing. There was a big fancy banner at the top of the webpage when you sign in that said ‘you won,’ and that was really exciting,” said Elena Starcher, Crystal Lake Central senior.

Starcher’s winning photography piece was titled “Mitchell and the Train.”

“Elena is certainly in the top tier of artists that I have ever instructed. She’s exceptionally hard on herself. I like that exterior voices get to come and tell her just how exceptional her work is at a national level,” said Judd Shutt, Crystal Lake Central art teacher.

She plans to study animation in college and is deciding between two art schools. She earned a total of $152,448 in scholarships from the Illinois High School Art Exhibition in February.

“Ideally, I want to be an animator, and even make my own shows. I also love kids so much, so making media for kids to consume and be influential, and almost like a teacher through entertainment is something that I would have a lot of fun doing,” said Starcher.

Her work as a national medalist will be published in the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards Online Galleries at artandwriting.org in June.

“She’s forward thinking and kind of avant-garde in a way that’s personally driven. You probably will watch some credits some day in the next ten years and see her name,” said Shutt.

Image Courtesy of Crystal Lake Central High School