Austin Prep students hold ‘Key’ to award-winning art

Two juniors at Austin Preparatory School in Reading received honors from the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards, and one student’s drawing is moving on to the national level.

The artwork of juniors Mackenzie Barrall of Tewksbury and Isabella Totino of Melrose were selected for awards.

Mackenzie won a Gold Key for her chalk pastel drawing, “Glass.” Isabella won an Honorable Mention for her digital art piece titled, “Gears of the Heart.”

As a Massachusetts Gold Key recipient, Mackenzie’s drawing now goes on to compete at the national level. The national Scholastic office will judge other Gold Key works from all other regions of the country. Announcements of the national awards are made in mid-March.

Eventually, Mackenzie’s piece will be exhibited in Boston at a location to be determined. Austin Prep has been entering the competition for five years and received many Honorable Mentions and Silver Key awards. “Glass” is the school’s first Gold Key winner.

The Scholastic Art & Writing Awards date back to 1923 and are extremely competitive. Students across America submitted nearly 320,000 original works for consideration during this year’s competition.