Jefferson, Roosevelt art students win Gold Key awards

From press release

Rockford Jefferson High School art students Evan Jarzynski and Arnold Syphommarath, along with Rockford Roosevelt Alternative High School art student Zachary Beets, have been recognized with regional Gold Key awards through the Scholastic Art Awards program. The three seniors were selected based on their art portfolios and individual works of art.

“This is the first step to a nationally renowned program and is quite an honor for these students,” Jefferson art teacher Lynn Stockton said. “They put in a lot of hard work and commitment to their portfolios, and it has paid off.”

Roosevelt art instructor Leslie Arbetman has known Beets for five years, since he was a student at West Middle School, and has marveled at how much he has grown as an artist. “It’s nice to see his talent and hard work validated by other artists,” Arbetman said. “This is really a big deal for his art career.” It is also the first time Roosevelt has submitted art works to a program of this magnitude.

Winning submissions of regional Gold Key recipients are forwarded to Scholastic Art Awards headquarters in New York City for national adjudication, with 300 students being honored in a ceremony June 9 at Carnegie Hall. The portfolio category for graduating seniors involves submitting a collection of eight pieces of art that best demonstrate the student’s originality, technical skill and personal vision.

As regional winners, the three are invited to attend a recognition ceremony March 7 at the State Historical Building in Des Moines, Iowa, where their entries will be on display. Work included in the Des Moines exhibit are Jarzynski’s charcoal and colored pencil drawing titled, “Ambitious Perception” and Syphommarath’s charcoal drawing titled, “Glasses.” Three of Beets’ pieces, along with art from Jarzynski and Syphommarath, will be on display at the Rockford Art Museum High School Division show, which also begins March 7.

Art students who win Gold Key Awards increase their chances to receive scholarships and eligibility to attend art schools.

From the Mar. 3-9, 2010 issue