ÐÓ°É

The 2020-2021 Wells APAC visual arts departments have a great year in the numerous art shows and competitions entered this season.

A Run thru of some of the notable awards are as follows:

Scholastic Art and Writing National awards:

APAC students received 6 Gold Medal awards, 3 Silver Medal Awards, 1 Silver Medal Senior Portfolio award, The American Vision Award, Best-In-Grade award for 7^th grade and 10^th grade, and the overall national Civic Expression Award. National Ceremony Awards will be Wednesday, June 9, 2021 7:00 PM - 8:15 PM EST

Individual National Awards are as follows:

• Bell, Jaliyah (Put A Smile On)    Drawing & Illustration   received a  Gold Medal
• Bradley, Madisen (Southern Heat) Photography  received a Silver Medal
• Chapman, Isana (The Calm Before the Storm)    Photography   received a Gold Medal
• Demus, Sarah (Ready Player One) Drawing & Illustration           received a Gold Medal
• Demus, Sarah (Voices in My Mind) Painting received a Gold Medal
• Goodwin, Eleanor (A Lazy Summer)  Painting received a Gold Medal
• Hines, Dorianne (Closed Windows) Drawing & Illustration received a  Silver Medal
• Hines, Dorianne (What Happened to Us?) Drawing & Illustration received a Silver Medal
• Hines, Dorianne (Let the Fire Burn) Expanded Projects received a Gold Medal

Specialty Awards:

• Dorianne Hines: (Let the Fire Burn) National Civic Expression Award. Prize of $1,000
• Jaliyah Bell: (Put a Smile On) 7^th grade Best-In Grade Award. Prize of $500
• Dorianne Hines: (Let the Fire Burn) 10^th Grade Best-In Grade Award. Prize of $500
• Sarah Demus: (Voices in my Mind) The American Vision Medal
• Thompson, Khai (The Journey of a Black Boy in America) Art Portfolio received a Silver Medal

The amount per school breakdown* is as follows: ÐÓ°É Prep: 1 gold medal, MS School of Math and Science: 1 silver medal   *This is for Art only. National Writing Awards are not included in this list.

Scholastic Art and Writing Regional awards:

APAC students received a total of 201 awards. Mississippi had 1200 entries this year and 467 awards given. This means around 43% of the awards came from Wells APAC. We submitted a total of 393 pieces, which is amazing considering this was done virtually and during a pandemic.

Detailed list a winners is attached.

• 4 of the 5 American Vision Nominees
• 50 gold key awards
• 55 silver key awards
• 92 honorable mentions
• 1 gold key portfolios (the only 1 awarded)
• 1 silver key portfolios (the only 1 awarded)
• 1 honorable mention portfolio (the only one awarded)

The amount per school breakdown is as follows (including American Vision nominees): Power APAC (201), ÐÓ°É Prep(68), MRA(41), Germantown(34), MS school of the arts(29), St. Andrews(16), Starkville(14), MSMS(14), ÐÓ°É Academy(12), Madison Middle(6), St Joe(6), Northwest Rankin(6),  Brandon (4), and West Jones(3),  with all other school that submitted receiving 1 or 2 awards.

Gold and Silver keys were put on display at the MS Museum of Art.

2020 Rising Stars Secondary Recognition Program:

Each year the National Art Education Association names a student to receive the 2021 Rising Star Award. This prestigious award, determined through a peer review of nominations, recognizes talented, active NAHS Members. This year’s winner is Sarah Demus, senior at APAC.  This is the 3rd year in a row that the National Rising Star Award winner came from Mississippi and JPS. 2020 was from APAC, 2019 was from FHHS.  The award was presented at the NAEA National Virtual Convention.

U.S. Congressional Art Competitions:

Each spring, a nation-wide high school arts competition is sponsored by the Members of the U.S. House of Representatives. The Artistic Discovery Contest is an opportunity to recognize and encourage the artistic talent in the nation, as well as in our Congressional District.

The Artistic Discovery Contest is open to all high school students in our District. The winning artwork of our district's competition will be displayed for one year in the U.S. Capitol. The exhibit in Washington will include the winning artwork from all participating districts from around the country. The winning artwork is also featured on House.gov's Congressional Art Competition page.

District 2: Bennie Thompson (only give out 1^st-3^rd and 5 Honorable mentions)

1^st Place Overall: Ari Perkins, 9^th grade: 

2^nd Place Overall: Khai Thompson, 12^th grade

1^st honorable mention: Dorianne Hines: 10^th grade

2^nd honorable mention: Dorianne Hines, 10^th grade

District 3: Michael Guest (1 overall winner and then divided up by art media 1^st-3rd)

Mixed Media:

1^st Place: LaBrenda Bell “Dysmorphia”

3^rd Place: Sarah Demus “Home is Where Our Story Begins”

Photography:

1^st Place: Hanna Bengten “The Wastelands”

3^rd Place: Olivia Hellings “Untouchable”

Printmaking:

1^st Place: Zoey Rockoff “Couch Potato”

Drawing:

2^nd place: Sarah Demus “A Game of Chess”

Painting:

2^nd Place: Eleanor Goodwin “A Lazy Summer Day”

The annual National Art Honor Society/National Junior Art Honor Society (NAHS/NJAHS) Juried Exhibition of artwork:

 The exhibition showcases the work of talented student artists who are members of NAEA's NAHS/NJAHS programs. NAEA received an impressive 1,187 submissions from schools throughout the United States for the 2021 Juried Exhibition, and 92 pieces (79 from high school, 13 from middle school) were chosen to be in the exhibition.  The virtual exhibition opened on January 11 and can be found here.

APAC had 6 students chosen for the exhibition and were the only school in MS with students chosen.  Deshea Reed- 11^th grade

Dorianne Hines- 10^th grade

Gabriel Williams- 11^th grade

Harper Golden- 8^th grade

Jaliyah Bell- 7^th grade

Khai Thompson- 12^th grade

Chimneyville’s Artist and Artisans of the Future art show and competition:

APAC visual arts students were recognized at the "Outstanding Artists and Artisans of the Future," a yearly high school art show and competition held as part of the Chimneyville Arts Festival.

Two of the students received awards and cash prizes.

• Best in Show: Gabriel Williams: 11^th grade
• High Merit/Honorable mention: Dorianne Hines: 10^th
•  

30 works of art produced by Wells APAC students were selected for display at the show.  

LaBrenda Bell

Madisen Bradley

Izzy Chapman

Theo Cooper

Anna Gordon

Ari Perkins

Harper Golden

Vesper Johnson

Jaliyah Bell

Mariel Kassoff

Dori Hines

Parker Hansen

Kiersten Hartwell

Olivia Hellings

Lucas Morrisey

Deshea Reed

Zoey Rockoff

Maleiah Thames

Gabe Williams

Emily Battle

Hanna Bengten

Sarah Demus

Eleanor Goodwin

Kristen McLin

Moriah Roland

Khai Thompson

“Show Us Your Best Mississippi” Art Competition sponsored by the MS School of the Arts

Visual Arts 7^th-12^th grade awards: 1^st Place (Gift card prize): Jaliyah Bell

College Savings Mississippi Art Contest

State Treasurer David McRae announced the winners of the College Savings Mississippi Art Contest. Students created images that showed what they wanted to be when they grow up. Each of the winners will receive a scholarship in the form of a Mississippi Affordable College Savings account.

For 9th-12th Grade, the 2020 Art Contest winners are:

1st Place/$500: Gabriel Williams 11^th grade

2nd Place/$300: Moriah Roland 12^th grade

Walter Anderson Senior Scholarship Exhibition:

The Education Department of the Walter Anderson Museum of Art is presents the annual Senior Scholarship Exhibition of work by high school seniors. Student’s work will be on display at the museum during May.

Two student-artists are awarded scholarship contributions toward their higher education. 

2nd Place $500.00 Scholarship: Eleanor Goodwin

 Honorable Mention: Moriah Roland and Sarah Demus. Hanna Bengten was also chosen to exhibit during the show.

Lowell Milken Center for Unsung Heroes ArtEffect Project Competition:

The ArtEffect Project, with cash prizes totaling $14,000, teaches students their power to effect positive change through creative storytelling that celebrates Unsung Heroes from history. LMC invites U.S. and international middle and high school students to submit high-quality creative visual arts projects. While LMC’s Discovery Award competition rewards in-depth research to uncover a new Unsung Hero, The ArtEffect Project emphasizes the creative interpretation of an LMC Unsung Hero’s story in a unique and compelling way. Students are encouraged to showcase their completed projects beyond the classroom walls in order to create positive community impact and inspire social action. Winning projects may be chosen for display in LMC’s Hall of Unsung Heroes in Fort Scott, Kansas.

Out of the thousands submitted, 2 of our students where chose for National Finalists.

Sarah Demus, 12^th Grade                                          Moriah Roland, 12^th Grade

Phi Delta Kappa Cover artwork:

Senior Eleanor Goodwin’s artwork was chosen to be featured in Phi Delta Kappa’s (PDK) education journal Kappan! PDK is a professional education association and offers insights on K-12 education policy, research, curriculum, and professional development. Kappan readers include new and veteran teachers, graduate students, school and district administrators, university faculty members (researchers and teacher educators), and policy makers.

William Winter Institute Community of the Future Creatives Showcase

To reflect on what we can learn from the events of 2020 and early 2021 and envision what comes next, The Winter Institute invited young people and talented creators, to submit a piece of writing or art for our virtual Community of the Future Creatives Showcase.

Middle School Art Category:

1st Place Cecile Cole- 6^th grade: $150 prize

High School Category:

1^st Place Khai Thompson-12^th grade: $200 prize

2^nd Place Madisen Bradley-9^th grade: $100 prize

University of Southern Mississippi Revelry Event:

From virtual collaboration to virtual performance. Revelry hosts APAC Reborn: A Collective Isolation of Our

Metaphoric Edges.

This year APAC students were chosen to collaborate in an art show for their interactive community and schoolwide event. Our Wells APAC Arts faculty and students produced a beautiful and powerful collaborative work around themes of Black Lives Matter, Joy despite Struggle, and the COVID 19 Pandemic. This student showcase is a celebration of our school community and each student's individual, creative voice.

The Following students had artwork chosen to be part of the Showcase:

Moriah Roland

Gabe Williams

Hanna Bengten

Khai Thompson

Asia Brown

Meona Powell

Emily Battle

Deshea Reed

Dori Hines

Maleiah Thames

Harper Golden

Olivia Hellings

Parker Hanson

LaBrenda Bell

2020-2021 End of the Year APAC Visual Art Awards:

Elementary:
Performance: Griffin Ballard and Bella Perez
Spirit: Myles Dixon, Lee Harwell, and Jakayla Mallard

Golden Palette: Alexis

Middle:
Performance: Asia Brown, Leanna Divinity, and Destynee Younger
Spirit: Tracey Robinson, Myah McGee, and Vesper Johnson

Golden Palette: Aynecia Gardner

Golden Brush: Harper Golden

High school:
Performance: Deshea Reed, LaBrenda Bell, and Hanna Bengten
Spirit: Claire Forbes, Kristen McLin, and Parker Hansen

Golden Palette: Dori Hines

Delta Award:
Moriah Roland and Khai Thompson

Celebrating Art National Art Yearbook:

We have had 31 students chosen to be published in the 2020 summer edition, 41 in the 2020 fall editions, and 50 in the 2021 Spring Edition. 25% of work submitted across the nation is chosen for publishing, with 10% of the chosen work receiving a high merit. Our school has been honored for the higher than average number of students chosen to have work published. Names of Published students are attached. The Bold Highlighted students received a High merit award for their artwork.

Summer 2020 Edition: (end of 2020 school year)

Abigail Showalter

Alauran Allen

Annie  Jefferis

Ariel Bell

Ashley Thurman

Asia Brown

Cecile Cole

Charles     Rounds III

Desmond Young

Dorianna Hines

Eleanor     Goodwin

Emily Battle

Franklin    Milla-Aguilar

Frei McKee

Gabriel     Williams

Hanna Bengten

Harper Golden

Imari Funchess

Isana  Chapman

Jakaylin    Rand

Jeremiah Walker

Khai Thompson

Leanna     Divinity

Madisen  Bradley

Makayla   Epps

Maleiah Thames

Moriah     Roland

Sarah Demus

Summer   Griffin

Vesper Johnson

Zoey Rockoff

Fall 2020 Edition:

Aidan        Rich

Alex           McLin

Alexis        Gypson

Anna         Gordon

Ari              Perkins

Ariel           Bell

Asia            Brown

Ayinde      Gaynor

Aynecia    Gardner

Bella          Perez

Cecile        Cole

Claire         Forbes

Deshea     Reed

Destynee Younger

Dorianne Hines

Eleanor  Goodwin

Emily         Battle

Gabriel     Williams

Hanna       Bengten

Harper      Golden

Izzy            Chapman

Jacob         Gates

Jakayla      Mallard

Jalen          Lewis

Jaliyah      Bell

Josiah        Calvert

Kaylee      Harwell

Kevin         Clayborne

Khai Thompson

Kristen      McLin

LaBrenda Bell

Lathan      Holmes

Lucas         Morrisey

Madisen  Bradley

Maleiah    Thames

Meona     Powell

Moriah     Roland

Myah        McGee

Parker       Hansen

Quintin     McCaleb

Rashona   Nelson

Rylie          Adams

Safiya        Johnson

Sarah         Demus

Simms       Powell

Telina        Shows

Theo          Cooper

Tobias       Barnes

Tracey       Robinson

Vesper     Johnson

Zoey          Rockoff

Spring 2021 Edition:

Aidan Rich

Alexis Gypson

Ariel Bell

Asia Brown

Ayinde Gaynor

Aynecia Gardner

Bella Perez

Cecile Cole

Christian Catchings

Deshea Reed

Destynee Younger

Dori Hines

Eleanor Goodwin

Gabriel Williams

Griffin Ballard

Hanna Bengten

Harper Golden

Hudson Presley

LaBrenda Bell

Jacob Gates

Jalen Lewis

Jaliyah Bell

Jasmine Caliedo

Jayden Bell

Josiah Calvert

Kandace Tate

Kevin Clayborne

Khai Thompson

Kristen McLin

Leanna Divinity

Lee Harwell

Lucas Morrisey

Madisen Bradley

Maleiah Thames

Meona Powell

Moriah Roland

Myah McGee

Parker Hansen

Quentin McCaleb

Rylie Adams

Sabrea Jordan

Sarah Demus

Savone Washington

Simms Powell

Telina Shows

Theo Cooper

Tobias Barnes

Tracey Robinson

Vesper Johnson

Zoey Rockoff

Teacher Updates and Information:

We are thrilled to announce that we will once again have 3 visual arts teachers next year. Ms. Rebecca Wilkinson will be joining our department as our new 3D teacher. She will also be focusing on School and Community Outreach. You can read a little about her , and we are very excited to have her joining our team to help your students grow and learn even more.

This year, Ms. Payne received her Media Arts Endorsements from MDE and was voted in a President of the MS Art Education Association. Ms. Moore was honored to receive the 2020 MAEA Mississippi Secondary Level Educator of the Year and was voted in as the MAEA President-Elect. 

Also this March, Ms. Payne finally was able to have her ceremony for her NAEA 2020 MS Outstanding Art Educator. This, along with Ms. Moore in 2018 and Ms. Wilkinson in 2012 receiving the same award, puts Wells APAC as the only school in MS where the entire Visual Art department has been honored with this award.

Wells APAC Visual Arts Awards and Honors

The 2019-2020 APAC visual arts department had a great year in the numerous art shows and competitions entered this season.

A Run thru of some of the notable awards are as follows:

 Scholastic Art and Writing National awards:

Wells APAC students received 11 Gold Medal awards, 6 Silver Medal Awards, The American Vision Award, a Best-In-Grade award, MS NY STATE LIFE award, and a Gold Medal Portfolio Awards.

Specialty Awards:

·         Charles Rounds: 2020 National Gold Medal Portfolio Winner. This includes a prize of $10,000 and is the 1st time a student from MS has won this.

·         Harper Golden: Best-In Grade Award. Prize of $500

·         Katlyn Breen: The American Vision Medal

·       Desmond Young: Mississippi State New York Life Award for Grief and Bereavement.  This is a prize of $500.

Individual National Awards are as follows:

·      Allen, Alauran:  2 Gold medals for Drawing & Illustration (Got Milk) and Printmaking (Flower Child) 

·         Breen, Katlyn: 1 Gold Medal for Photography (Portal)

·         Chapman, Isana: 1 Gold Medal for Drawing & Illustration (Silent Safiya)

·         Demus, Sarah: 1 Gold Medal for Drawing & Illustration (Pulling An All Nighter)

·         Golden, Harper: 1 Gold Medal for Sculpture (Scoliosis Orthosis)

·         Hellings, Olivia: 1 Silver Medal for Mixed Media (World View)

·         Perkins, Ari: 2 Silver Medals for Drawing & Illustration (Waiting on Nothing and Everything) and Printmaking (Miss Middle School)

·         Roland, Moriah: 1 Gold Medal for Drawing & Illustration (Summer Waits in the Shade)

·         Rounds, Charles: 1 Gold Medal for Drawing & Illustration (When you see the Lights) and

                                    2 Silver medals for Drawing & Illustration (Overcoming the Past, Embracing the Present, and Building My Future) and (Sacrifice)

·         Thompson, Khai: 1 Gold Medal for Drawing and Illustration (The Choice: Door A or Door B?)

·         Thurman, Ashley: 1 Silver Key for Digital Art (Kinetic Energy)

·         Williams, Gabriel: 1 Gold Key for Digital Art (Personal Energy)

Scholastic Art and Writing Regional awards:

Visual Art's APAC students received a total of 209 awards.

This gives us a 280% increase from the awards Power received last year.

The detailed list of individual student awards can be found on the

·         3 of the 5 American Vision Nominees

·         57 gold key awards

·         62 silver key awards

·         82 honorable mentions

·         2 gold key portfolios (the only 2 awarded in the state)

·         2 silver key portfolios

·         1 honorable mention portfolio

2020 Rising Stars Secondary Recognition Program:

Each year the National Art Education Association names a student to receive the 2020 Rising Star Award. This prestigious award, determined through a peer review of nominations, recognizes talented, active NAHS Members that are planning on pursuing a career in Art Education.

The award will be presented at the NAEA National Convention in Minneapolis, MN, in March.

This year’s winner is Ashley Thurman, senior at APAC.

Lowell Milken Center of Unsung Heroes ArtEffects Project Competition 

The ArtEffect Project, with cash prizes totaling $15,500, teaches students their power to effect positive change through creative storytelling that celebrates Unsung Heroes from history.  

LMC invites U.S. and international middle and high school students to submit high-quality creative visual arts projects.

The ArtEffect Project emphasizes the creative interpretation of an LMC Unsung Hero’s story in a unique and compelling way.  

Winning projects are displayed in LMC’s Hall of Unsung Heroes in Fort Scott, Kansas.

2020 ARTEFFECT PROJECT GRAND PRIZE WINNER:

Charles Rounds III, 12th for his piece "Saved by Science" where he received $6,000.

 Youth Art Month Art Competition:

To promote Youth Art Month, The Council for Art Education coordinates Youth Art Month activities at the national level. The primary event is the State Flag Program.                                                              Using the national or state theme, each state coordinates a flag design contest, with the winning design made into a flag for display in the Youth Art Month Museum at the National Art Education Association (NAEA) annual National Convention.

The student winners receive: Overall Prize – $500 worth of Art Supplies and Category Prizes: One Per Category – Elementary, Middle and High- $100 Worth of Art Supplies

• Overall Winner for Mississippi: Imari Funchess, 12^th Grade, Power APAC/Murrah
• Middle School Winner: Madisen Bradley, 8^th grade, Power APAC/Bailey
• Elementary Winner: Alana Hunter, 5^th grade, Power APAC

Congressional Art Competitions:

Each spring, the Congressional Institute sponsors a nationwide high school visual art competition to recognize and encourage artistic talent in the nation and in each congressional district. Winners are recognized both in their district and at an annual awards ceremony in Washington, DC.

2^nd District: Bennie Thompson Competition:

• Overall 1st Place winner was 11^th grader Moriah Roland.
  • 3rd Place- Moriah Roland – 11th
  • Honorable Mention- Liz Hawkins – 10th
  • Honorable Mention- Sarah Demus – 11th
  • Honorable Mention- Summer Griffin – 12th

3^rd District: Michael Guest Competition:

• 1^st Place Drawing Category: Charles Rounds-12^th
• 3^rd place Drawing Category: Eleanor Goodwin-11th

The annual National Art Honor Society/National Junior Art Honor Society (NAHS/NJAHS) Juried Exhibition of artwork:

 The exhibition showcases the work of talented student artists who are members of NAEA's NAHS/NJAHS programs. From a total of 1,065 submissions,                                                                                     61 works representing 36 schools from 17 states will be on exhibit at the Studio & Gallery in Alexandria, VA.

An additional 74 works representing 40 schools from 23 states will be featured in the online Virtual Gallery.

Visual Art Department at APAC had 5 students chosen for the Studio & Gallery exhibit and 7 students chosen for the online Virtual Gallery.

Alauran Allen- 12^th grade

Ashley Thurman- 12^th grade

Charles Rounds- 12^th grade

Harper Golden- 7^th grade

Jaliyah Bell- 6^th grade

 Link:

 Eleanor Goodwin- 11^th grade

Elizabeth Hawkins- 10^th grade

Gabriel Williams- 10^th grade

Isana Chapman- 8^th grade

Imari Funchess- 12^th grade

Khai Thompson- 11^th grade

Moriah Roland- 11^th grade

College Savings Mississippi Art Contest

State Treasurer David McRae announced the winners of the College Savings Mississippi Art Contest. Students created images that showed what they wanted to be when they grow up.

Each of the winners will receive a scholarship in the form of a Mississippi Affordable College Savings account. 

For 6th-8th Grade, the 2020 Art Contest winners are:

1st Place: Harper Golden 

3rd Place: Mariel Kassoff 

For 9th-12th Grade, the 2020 Art Contest winners are:

1st Place: Charles Rounds 

3rd Place: Desmond Young 

Chimneyville’s Artist and Artisans of the Future art show and competition:

JPS visual arts students were recognized at the "Outstanding Artists and Artisans of the Future," a yearly high school art show and competition held as part of the Chimneyville Arts Festival.

More than 35 works of art produced by Visual Art APAC students were selected for display at the competition. Four of the students received awards and cash prizes.

• Best in Show: Charles Rounds: 12^th
• High Merit: Moriah Roland: 11^th
• High Merit: Desmond Young: 12^th
• Honorable mention: Sara Dumas: 11^th

Celebrating Art National Art Yearbook:

We have had 39 students chosen to be published in the 2019 summer, 50 students in the 2019 fall editions, and 55 students in the 2020 Spring edition.

25% of work submitted across the nation is chosen for publishing, with 10% of the chosen work receiving a high merit.

The following students received a High merit award for their artwork.

Summer 2019:

• Summer Griffin- 12th
• Charles Rounds-12th
• Gabriel Williams-10th
• Desmond Young-12th
• Olivia Hellings-10th
• Mariel Kassoff-6th

Fall 2019:

• Khai Thompson-11th
• Ashley Thurman-12th
• Moriah Roland-11th
• Mariel Kassoff-6th
• Annie Jefferis-10th
• Jaliyah Bell-6th

Spring 2020:

• Gabriel Williams- 10^th
• Olivia Hellings-10^th
• Desmond Young-12^th
• Imari Funchess-12^th
• Mariel Kassoff-6^th
• Aynecia Gardner-7^th
• Madisen Bradley-8^th
• Isana “Izzy” Chapman-8^th
• Jacob Gates-4^th
• Makhi Owens-5^th