Seven Chatham High School art students were recently recognized to receive the 2016 Scholastic Art & Writing Awards, the nation’s longest-running recognition initiative for creative teens. In addition, Phoebe Nichols, a senior, won merit awards in the recent Art Administrators of New Jersey Art Show.

In the Scholastic competition, senior Jane Ewald earned Honorable Mention in the drawing and illustration category.  Members of the junior class who received recognition are Joseph Alfano, Honorable Mention for 3D art – sculpture; Kelly Anderson, Silver Key Award for digital art; Natalie Charewicz, Honorable Mention for digital art; Stephanie Crater, Honorable Mention for 3D art – jewelry ; and Connie Han,  Silver Key Award for photography, Honorable Mention for drawing and illustration. Eitan Miller, a sophomore, was awarded three Silver Key awards for photography.

Since 1923, the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards have recognized the ingenuity and talent of the nation’s youth. Through the program, teens in grades seven through 12 from public, private, or home schools can earn scholarships and have their works exhibited and published. The annual program bestows Gold Key and Silver Key awards as well as Honorable Mention in 29 categories of art and writing. The top 2,000 works in the country, selected from the Gold Key Award winners, earn National Medals and will be celebrated at a ceremony at Carnegie Hall later this year.

The awards are administered by the Alliance for Young Artists & Writers, which has an affiliation with the Montclair Art Museum to judge the visual art submissions. The Chatham students competed in the Northeast New Jersey art region, which includes Bergen, Essex, Hudson, Hunterdon, Mercer, Middlesex, Monmouth, Morris, Passaic, Somerset, Sussex, Union, and Warren counties. More than 20 jurors—artists, curators, and educators—participated in a series of panels, reviewing more than 4,000 visual art submissions from 1,248 creative teens. The Gold Key Award was bestowed upon 219 students in the region; 348 received the Silver Key Award; and 444 received Honorable Mention.

This is the second year that CHS has participated in the Scholastic art competition. The pieces were submitted by CHS art teachers Eric Hreha and Kiera Spadaro.