Every school year, students create countless pieces of art and writing pieces in their art electives and English classes. While these pieces are often praised in the form of exemplary grades or placement in display cases throughout the school, they are often unrecognized outside the building. However, many students seized the opportunity to receive critique from an organization outside of Wellesley by submitting work to the the Scholastic Art and Writing Awards.

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The Scholastic Art and Writing Awards is a contest open to both middle and high school students around the country. Students submit work and are rewarded based on the outcomes of three judges’ votes for their work. One vote results in an honorable mention, two results in a silver key, and three results in a gold key.

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The contest allows students to submit many types of art and writing. Students who submit artwork can even enter their pieces in the form of portfolios, which include more than one piece of art. Art students can submit works of painting, photography, printmaking, photography, fashion, architecture, and more. The same holds true for writing, where students can submit personal essays, journalistic writing, poetry, or short stories.

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While the English department has no official coordinator for the awards, the most involved staff member is English teacher Mr. Andrew Bennett. Bennett has been advocating for the awards for nearly four years now, and is happy that the contest is becoming more popular and more students are winning. Other English teachers, including Ms. Amanda Brown, were teacher sponsors of the contest this year.

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“More students and teachers are aware of more categories which makes for more opportunities for submissions. Word has gotten out that it's a good contest,” said Bennett. “While I do encourage students to submit work and sometimes recommend two specific students who have work that should be submitted, I don’t require it.”

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Maeve Mungovan ’19, one of Bennett’s students, submitted a piece of her writing to the contest. “I received a gold key for a personal essay that I wrote about the first time I ever visited Nantucket, which is where I spend most of my summer now,” Mungovan said.

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Mungovan said that she entered the awards because she felt her writing reflected who she is as a writer and wanted to share that with others. “It's a great opportunity, and there's nothing to lose,” Mungovan said.

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While entering the Scholastic Art and Writing Awards may not seem appealing to everyone, Bennett noted that it poses a unique opportunity.

“The people that are judging the submissions don’t know the students. It can’t possibly have anything to do with a relationship the judge has with the student. It can’t take into consideration any improvement that the student has made or any growth. It is on the achievement of the work, and there are multiple judges which is another check against subjectivity,” he said.

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The Art department coordinates many more awards than the English department. Art teachers assign their students projects specifically for the awards. Also, the school funds art submissions.

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The high school performed very well this year in the art category. One of the gold key winners is Anna Macek ’17. Macek received her gold key for her work on a printmaking project.

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“The piece that I received the gold key for was a self portrait that I made by carving out a linoleum block. The picture itself was actually taken by my friend Eleni a while ago at a cast party,” Macek said.

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Thom Carter, the head of the Art department, instructed Macek’s printmaking class to each submit prints from class. When Macek submitted this print, she never expected to receive a gold key.

 

“I was very surprised to receive the award because I don't take a lot of art classes at the school, but I was very happy because I was proud of the way that the print turned out,” Macek said.

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The Scholastic Art and Writing Awards posed a unique opportunity for Macek.

 

“I’d  taken art classes before. I took photo and drawing, but I started printmaking this year,” she said.

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Macek said she enjoyed the contest, and Mungovan said she will be submitting again. Bennett, as well, feels that the awards are unique and are a way to help students see beyond high school.

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“For a lot of work in school in general it's hard to see how it matters outside of school. This puts it beyond the academic setting. Submitting a work of art or writing to a contest is comparable to submitting it for publication. A lot of students, despite my praise, don’t believe me when I say they have talent and ability that is worth pursuing. When they win an award they realize that it is real,” Bennett said.