PHHS Photography Student Wins National Award

Her 5-year-old brother climbed into the shower. He pushed his face against the glass door, then just his hand and fist. Photoshoots were a game.

Armed with her camera and intent on finishing her homework, Katie McFaul, a 16-year-old junior, snapped a photo—a photo that would change her life.

Months later, after prodding from her classmates and photography teacher, Erik Whipple at , she submitted the photo to the prestigious Scholastic Art & Writing Awards.

The awards, which judge young artists and writers at regional, national and international levels, recognize excellence in creative works produced by seventh to 12th grade students. The awards are an impressive addition to any college resume, but they're also a signal to the larger artistic community, a stamp of professional approval.

McFaul hadn't expected to go very far in the competition. Whipple, a past winner himself, was more confident.

"She consistently produces high quality work," Whipple said.

"[The photo] is nicely simplified in its composition. There's nothing to distract," he said. "It plays around with the viewer. It has a sense of mystery."

Learning that she won the Gold Key Award, the highest regional honor, was surreal, McFaul said.

"I was shocked. I'm still in shock mode," she said.

Her piece was then judged in New York City, where it received the Silver Medal for high honors at a national level.

McFaul is now eligible for scholarships associated with the awards. She also plans to attend the Gold Key Gala at Carnegie Hall in New York City on May 31. Her parents, and possibly Whipple, plan to attend as well.

"I think that it's made my parents more receptive to the idea of doing art in college," she said. "I'm not going to be a starving artist—I can do this."