This past Saturday was the Scholastic Awards Ceremony hosted in the South Bend Museum of Art. There were 3,860 submissions from 2,783 participants. There were 1,167 award winning pieces of art. Any forms of art were accepted. This included photography, digital design, jewelry, ceramics, and watercolor to name a few. The award recipients at the national level were invited to the awards ceremony. Their work is being displayed in galleries. Their work is also being considered for scholarships.

Art teacher Jen Firestone she said, “I am very proud of my students and all of their hard work. Be sure to check out the students’ art in the South Bend Museum.”

The Scholastic Art and Writing Award program originated in 1923. Their goal is to, “encourage, foster, and reward creativity in our nation’s classrooms and to confer recognition on emerging talent.” The region has been a part of the Scholastic Art and Writing Award program for years and started in the Tea Room of the former Robertson’s Department Store before being moved to the South Bend Museum of Art.

Sophomore Evolette Williams attended the event and said,“It was cool to see all the people there celebrating their artistic ability. I thought it was nice to see that there were scholarships offered because that can make the difference in someone going to college based on their artistic ability.”

Six Saint Joseph Students were selected for special awards. Alex Choinacky won the Northern Indiana Artists Merit Award. Caitlyn Pingel and Monica Ngochi each won the Saint Joseph Valley Watercolor Society Merit Award. Lexie DePauw received the IUSB Scholarship Award. Lucy Noem won the Notre Dame visual voice award. Cate Harrington won the. Indiana Women’s Caucus for Art award.  Saint Joseph Students had a total of 18 gold keys, 41 silver, and 42 honorable mentions.