Mack Recognized in Art Contest

The following was submitted by the Landmark School.

Landmark School Junior and North Reading native Natalie Mack recently received a prestigious Gold Key in the Boston Globe Scholastic Art and Writing Awards for her self portrait drawing.

Landmark School, a boarding and day school for students with language-based learning disabilities, such as dyslexia, recently received 30 Gold and Silver Keys and Honorable Mentions from program.

Tied with Rivers School in Weston, Massachusetts, Landmark School holds more Gold Key awards than any other private school in Massachusetts. Founded in 1923, the national competition is the longest running, most prestigious recognition program for teen artists and writers in the United States.

“These awards are validation of our students’ motivation, vision, and most importantly talent,” said Bob Broudo, Headmaster of Landmark School. “Each year, the number of awards just keeps growing. For a school of our size this is remarkable. We were so excited to learn that we had earned 30 awards this year. Ten Gold Keys just blows me away! Our students work so hard to achieve success in school and this recognition is enormously rewarding.”

Landmark High School students were recognized with 10 Gold Key Awards, which will be entered into the national competition, seven Silver Keys, and 13 Honorable Mentions. All but one Silver Key, awarded to Sophomore Joseph Sevelitte for poetry, were for works of visual art.

This year, more than 14,000 images were submitted as part of portfolios by 6,500 students in grades 7-12 from public, private, and parochial schools around the state. At both the regional and national levels, entries are blind judged by an esteemed jury of professional artists and writers ranging from fine and multimedia artists to poets and novelists.

“It is very exciting and affirming for our students to have been recognized by the Boston Globe Scholastic Art Awards. Their work was judged against thousands of other talented students from all over the state and being awarded any of the keys or an honorable mention publicly acknowledges their effort and talent as some of the most outstanding in Massachusetts. The ultimate pay off was not just in public recognition, but in confidence, said Beth Jamieson,” Head of Landmark High School’s Art Department.

All individual Gold Key and Silver Key awardees’ work is currently on view and open to the public in the Massachusetts Transportation Building, 10 Park Plaza, in Boston. The exhibit opened on Monday, Feb. 13 and will end on Friday, April 20. Hours of operation are Monday through Friday between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday between noon and 4 p.m.

Landmark School’s ten Gold Key winners’ work will advance to a national competition and national winners will be announced on March 15. Finalists will be included in a public exhibition in New York City in June 2012.

Visit us on the web at www.landmarkschool.org.