Photo by Samantha Freeman
While GFA has always had a strong presence among the top Scholastic Art and Writing Awards, this year broke records for the number of award-winning students, and the number of awards. In the writing category, 28 GFA students won 51 awards. For arts, 13 students received awards.
Among the arts awards, three students received special recognition: Madison Gordon, whose photography submission titled "Spotted Self Portrait" received the CAEA Best in Photography; Harriet Wells, whose photography submission titled "IVY" received the Judge's Award; and Cassandra Callari, whose film/animation submission received the Jerry’s Artarama of CT and Juan Castillo Best in Film & Animation distinction.
The mission of the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards, is to “identify students with exceptional artistic and literary talent and present their remarkable work to the world,” according to the official website, and has been "supporting the future of creativity since 1923."
Writing Awards:
12th Grade
Noah Bachner:
“Green Mountain” [Personal Essay & Memoir] — Gold Key
Cayla Bernstein:
“Joshua Bennett’s ‘Family Reunion’: What Lies Beneath” [Critical Essay] — Silver Key
“Claudia Rankine’s ‘The New Therapist’: Fundamental Racism” [Critical Essay] — Honorable Mention
“Learning to Be” [Personal Essay & Memoir] — Gold Key, American Voices Nominee
“Inishbofin” [Personal Essay & Memoir] — Silver Key
“Nothing to Hide” [Short Story] — Honorable Mention
“Eyes Wide Open” [Portfolio] — Honorable Mention
“Great Blue Heron” [Poetry] — Gold Key
“Blurred Realities” [Portfolio] — Gold Key
Samara Cohen
“In the Fading Sun” [Flash Fiction] — Honorable Mention
Elek Krizsan
“One year after the senior revolution: Vive le GFA, or an end to the status quo?” [Humor] — Silver Key
“Going Anywhere” [Short Story] — Honorable Mention
Caroline McCall
“Seaside Goldenrod” [Personal Essay & Memoir] — Silver Key
“What Privilege Teaches Us” [Personal Essay & Memoir] — Honorable Mention
Tess McCormick
“A Sky Full of Starlings” [Personal Essay & Memoir] — Honorable Mention
“The Fragile Power of Nature” [Personal Essay & Memoir] — Honorable Mention
“Eight Salt Marsh Secrets” [Poetry] — Honorable Mention
Kate Millard
“Empty Nest” [Short Story] — Honorable Mention
Aidan Murphy
“The Southside” [Personal Essay & Memoir] — Honorable Mention
“Great Blue Heron” [Poetry] — Honorable Mention
Timothy Northrop
“Southport Harbor in the Late Summer” [Flash Fiction] — Gold Key
Haley Nilsson
“Christian Couples Counseling” [Short Story] — Honorable Mention
Comfort Omotunde
“Revival” [Dramatic Script] — Honorable Mention
Jackson Rassias
“The Fire Burns” [Personal Essay & Memoir] — Honorable Mention
Jaffir Wajahat
“The Milk Snake” [Poetry] — Honorable Mention
“The Bobcat” [Poetry] — Honorable Mention
11th Grade
Shealeigh Crombie
“Mortal Parity” [Critical Essay] — Gold Key
Mary Kessler
“Cycles” [Short Story] — Silver Key
Kavya Krishnamurthy
“blue and green and white things” [Poetry] — Silver Key
“Photographs” [Personal Essay & Memoir] — Silver Key
“‘Hope and Music in Dickinson’s ‘Heart, not so heavy as mine’” [Critical Essay] — Silver Key
“Forget Me Not” [Flash Fiction] — Silver Key
“Geminis and Other Poems” [Poetry] — Honorable Mention
Kevin Kuryla
“He and I” [Personal Essay & Memoir] — Honorable Mention
Andie Morelli
“Project 17” [Personal Essay & Memoir] — Honorable Mention
Lane Murphy
“One Day” [Poetry] — Silver Key
“Diagnosis” [Poetry] — Honorable Mention
Antara Singh-Ghai
“On the Origin of the Box” [Personal Essay & Memoir] — Honorable Mention
“newbury” [Poetry] — Honorable Mention
“Four A.M.” [Flash Fiction] — Gold Key
Emily Twitchell
“Erosion” [Personal Essay & Memoir] — Silver Key
10th Grade
Fiona Burton
“If We Could Read Our Stories” [Dramatic Script] — Silver Key
9th Grade
Noa Gottlieb
“Creative” [Poetry] — Honorable Mention
Beyza Kalender
“Best Earth Memory” [Personal Essay & Memoir] — Honorable Mention
“Tiredness” [Flash Fiction] — Honorable Mention
Riley Meyer
“Hair” [Flash Fiction] — Honorable Mention
“The Night Sky” [Flash Fiction] — Honorable Mention
Zoe Monschein
“Night Air” [Personal Essay & Memoir] — Silver Key
Charlotte Walter
“Escape in the Sky” [Personal Essay & Memoir] — Silver Key
8th Grade
Jordan Moss
“The Dreadfully Mad Game” [Poetry] — Silver Key
Arts Awards
Bella Bohnsack
Photography, Honorable Mention;
Art Portfolio, Gold Key
Camille Ewing
Photography, Silver Key
Samantha Freeman
Art portfolio, Gold Key
Madison Gordon
Photography, Gold Key: CAEA Best in Photography
Andie Morelli
Photography, Honorable Mention
Comfort Omotunde
Digital Art, Gold Key
Art Portfolio, Silver Key
Anna Reynolds
Photography, Honorable Mention
Harriet Wells
Photography, Gold Key: Judge’s Award
Film & Animation, Gold Key: Jerry’s Artarama of CT; Juan Castillo Best in Film & Animation
Film & Animation, Honorable Mention
Film & Animation, Silver Key