Rivers Students Make Strong Showing in Scholastic Art & Writing Awards

Whether working in porcelain or wood, acrylics or charcoal, prose or poetry, Rivers students are skilled at expressing themselves and creating memorable works of art. That skill was recognized recently when the Massachusetts results of the annual Scholastic Art & Writing Awards competition were announced. Thirty-one works of visual art by Rivers students were honored, and three works garnered awards in the writing categories.
The Scholastic Art & Writing Awards are presented each year by the Alliance for Young Artists & Writers, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization whose mission, according to its website, is to “identify students with exceptional artistic and literary talent.” Founded in 1923, Scholastic is the nation’s largest and longest-running arts recognition program for high school and middle school students. 

“It is fantastic for our students to have the opportunity to submit their work to the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards,” said Tim Clark, visual arts department chair. Clark sees as much value in the journey as the destination. “The act of selecting and entering their art and writing validates the effort and process that is integral to the creation of strong work. This year we are very excited to have had a number of students’ work honored from both Middle and Upper School, across all media.”

English department chair Mac Caplan was delighted to see three Rivers students recognized in the writing categories. “The English department is tremendously proud of the students honored for their writing in the Scholastic competition,” said Caplan. “They produced thoughtful, inspiring, and original pieces that reflect the hard work that they put into their writing, both in English class and on their own time. Congratulations to them on their accomplishments—we all look forward to reading more of their work in the future!”

To view a gallery of the winning works by Rivers students, please click here.

Update: The national-level Scholastic winners were announced on March 28, and four Rivers students were honored. Ava Palazzolo '23 and Teddy Foley '25 received Gold Level recognition, and Maylea Harris '26 and Olivia Segel '23 earned Silver. As award winners, they are invited to attend the National Ceremony, which will take place at Carnegie Hall in New York City later this spring. 


 
Scholastic Gold Key Winners:
Teddy Foley ’25, Photography
Maylea Harris ’26, Photography
Dana Lowitt ’23, Ceramics and Glass
Ava Palazzolo ’23, Ceramics and Glass
Olivia Segel ’23, Photography
Charles Thomajan ’23, Painting
Chelsea Yan ’25, Digital Art
Mulan Zhang ’25, Drawing and Illustration

Scholastic Silver Key Winners:
Kyra Coggin ’26, Photography
Gabriel Fonte ’26, Photography
Noelle Lee ’26, Mixed Media
Luciano Lewandowski ’23, Sculpture
Henry Salyer ’23, Painting
Matthew Maloney ’23, Ceramics and Glass (two awards)
Casey Walter ’23, Painting
Mia Siyuan Wang ’26, Critical Essay
Chelsea Yan ’25, Drawing and Illustration

Scholastic Honorable Mention Winners:
Evan Bardinelli ’24, Sculpture
Thomie Barringer ’23, Ceramics and Glass
Nico Dellarocca ’27, Photography
Vivian Dykema ’26, Drawing and Illustration
Ulrika Karlsson ’27, Photography
Noelle Lee ’26, Ceramics and Glass, Critical Essay (two awards)
Ava Palazzolo ’23, Ceramics and Glass
Brendan Poirier ’23, Ceramics and Glass
Sarah Stein ’23, Drawing and Illustration
Megan Sweatt ’24, Photography
Kayla Thugi ’25, Drawing and Illustration
Casey Walter ’23, Painting
Chelsea Yan ’25, Drawing and Illustration, Poetry (two awards)
Mulan Zhang ’25, Painting
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