Waterford Students Win Multiple Scholastic Art and Writing Awards

Twenty-nine Waterford School students have been recognized by the Scholastic Art and Writing Awards for their achievements in drawing, painting, ceramics, photography and digital art. The Scholastic Art & Writing Awards is the country's longest-running and most prestigious award and recognition program for creative teenagers.

Waterford students received 68 awards out of the 97 given to Utah students and were among more than 200,000 entries from across the United States. This included 24 Gold Key Awards, 10 Silver Key Awards, and 34 Honorable Mentions. Additionally, a Gold Key winning artwork by Waterford junior, Lauren Groathouse, was chosen as an American Visions and Voices Nominee (considered the "best in show" award). All Gold Key winners will advance to the National competition and honored at a special ceremony on June 1, 2013 at Carnegie Hall. Click here to see a gallery of Waterford's Gold Key Award winners.

"I am so proud of our student artists for this recognition from the prestigious Scholastic Art and Writing Awards competition," said Colby Brewer, Waterford's Art Department Chair. "The fact that our students are honored year after year speaks to the value that Waterford places on intellectual and creative inquiry. Our belief is that a visual arts experience, led by artist teachers and shaped by each student's personal vision, plays an essential part in learning how to learn."

The nonprofit Alliance for Young Artists and Writers, administers the awards. The Alliance identifies teenagers with exceptional creative talent and brings their remarkable work to a national audience through the Scholastic Art and Writing Awards. Students' works were blindly adjudicated, first locally through the 116 affiliates of the Alliance for Young Artists & Writers, and then nationally by panels of judges comprised of renowned artists, authors, educators, and industry professionals. For more information about the awards or to see winning submissions, visit http://www.artandwriting.org.

The Waterford School is Utah's premier private, college-preparatory school for students in preschool through grade 12. The school offers an extensive arts curriculum, including music, dance, theater, photography and visual arts. For more information visit http://www.waterfordschool.org.