National Art Awards Given To 2 Lakewood Students

LAKEWOOD, OH — Two Lakewood High School students have earned Silver Medals in the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards. The competition is the nation's longest running recognition program for creative teenagers in grades 7 through 12.

Senior Jordan Bozak and junior Emily Perry both earned Silver Medal status in the prestigious competition. Bozak won her medal in the Printmaking category, while Perry won for the Drawing & Illustration category.

“The students being recognized join a legacy of teens facilitating important dialogue through their art and writing. We celebrate these innovative teens as members of the next generation of great American artists and writers,” Virginia McEnerney, executive director of the Alliance for Young Artists & Writers said in a statement.

The Silver Medal is given as a high honor on a national level. The two students will be honored, along with other national winners and their teachers, during a June 7 ceremony at Carnegie Hall. Only 2,800 students became national winners, that's approximately 3 percent of the 85,000 artists that advanced from regional competition in January.

The Scholastic Art & Writing Awards features 29 total categories, including poetry, photography, sculpture, humor, editorial cartoons and video game design. More than 346,000 pieces were submitted to the contest at the regional level this year.

Nine other Lakewood students were named Golden Key winners at the regional level, and so advanced to national competition. Those regional winners were: Inga Wilhelmy of Harding; Lakewood High art students Calvin Dolatowski, Solace Duval, Kazimir Klein, and Anastasia Seckers; and West Shore students Sara Bitter and Riley Geyer.

The Scholastic Awards were founded in 1923 to offer recognition and scholarships for students for their artistic talents.

Photos from Lakewood Schools