Rivers Takes Multiple Prizes at Scholastic Art and Writing Awards


The Massachusetts Scholastic Art and Writing Awards were announced recently, and Rivers students once again made a great showing. Overall, the students garnered 33 awards—six Gold Keys, nine Silver Keys, and 18 Honorable Mentions.
“It is great that so many of our student artists were honored for their creative expression in such a broad range of media,” said David Saul, chair of the visual arts department at Rivers. “Our students earned recognition for their artwork in ceramics, sculpture, drawing, digital art, printmaking and photography. Numerous Middle and Upper School students were honored—a great reflection on Rivers’s inclusive arts program, which helps each individual to cultivate and articulate their creative vision.” To view all the winning Rivers entries in visual arts, please visit our SmugMug gallery. 

Rivers students also garnered writing awards for work in a range of formats, from personal essays to poetry to short stories to critical essays. One student, Apsara Balamurugan ’20, earned three awards—two gold keys and a silver key. Another, Sylvie Pingeon ’21, won in both visual art (an honorable mention) and writing (a Silver Key).

“We in the English department are proud of the students honored for their writing in the Scholastic competition,” said English department chair Mac Caplan. “These students have produced insightful, moving, and creative pieces that reflect the hard work that they put into their writing both in English class and on their own time. We congratulate them on their accomplishments and look forward to reading more of their writing in the future.”

The work of Gold Key winners in the art category will be on display at Tufts University from March 16 through March 25. Gold and Silver Key winners are invited to participate in the regional awards celebration on March 16 at Tufts. 

The prize winners in art from Rivers are:

Gold Key:
Jay Dieterle ’20, Ceramics & Glass: The Injustice System
Dylan Mentis ’20, Drawing & Illustration: Very Skullful
Marguerite Monaghan ’19, Ceramics & Glass: Our Shared Brokenness
Ayla Pfeffer ’22, Ceramics & Glass: Memories Entwined

Silver Key:
Matt Cronin ’19, Printmaking: Niccolo Tommaseo
Caleb Leeming ’19, Ceramics & Glass: Sand Dollar Teapot
Gavin MacIsaac ’20, Ceramics & Glass: Abuser’s Language
Ashley Shegog ’19, Ceramics & Glass: Multi-faceted
Abi Warwick ’19, Drawing and Illustration: Figure Drawing
Abi Warwick ’19, Digital Art: Caution, Goldfish Brain

Honorable Mention:
Sophie Bailey ’23, Photography: Icy Warning
Anthony Borgos ’23, Photography: Just a Squad Pic
Lillian Branka ’20, Sculpture: Rifted Reef
Lauren Braudis ’23, Ceramics & Glass: 5 Star Dessert
Thomas Dekin ’21, Sculpture: Vacancy
Crystie Frometa ’23, Photography: Spines and Ridges
Cristina Gomez ’23, Photography: Rope in the Sand
Annie Heuer ’21, Ceramics & Glass: From The Deep
Gretchen Kerfoot ’23, Photography: Sunrise at Pohkora
Christina Kew ’20, Sculpture: Creature Secrets
Ciara King ’21, Ceramics & Glass: Laces
Tully Mahoney ’19, Photography: Illuminated Prayer
Max Meyerhardt ’21, Ceramics & Glass: Refusing Imprisonment
John Morgan ’20, Sculpture: Delta Time
Adebiyi Oyaronbi ’21, Sculpture: Pierced
Sylvie Pingeon ’21, Printmaking: Clare Island Cow
Evelyn Thomajan ’20, Drawing & Illustration: Teddy

The prize winners in writing from Rivers are:

Gold Key:
Apsara Balamurugan ’20, Personal Essay/Memoir: Grains of Rice
Apsara Balamurugan ’20, Personal Essay/Memoir: Page 36

Silver Key:
Apsara Balamurugan ’20, Poetry: Deepam
Bethany Pasko ’19, Personal Essay/Memoir: Edit Your Life
Sylvie Pingeon ’21, Short Story: Old Skin, New Skin

Honorable Mention:
Bethany Pasko ’19, Critical Essay: Abdication of Accountability: The NCAA’s Sportsmanship Transgressions
 
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