Gwinnett County Public Schools (GCPS) students earned 288 awards through the Alliance for Young Artists and Writers’ Scholastic Art & Writing Awards recognition program at the regional level, and 62 of those award winners are advancing to national competition. These awards recognize student achievement in the visual and literary arts in 28 categories, including architecture, painting, flash fiction, poetry, printmaking, fashion design, expanded projects, and more. An award signifies to parents, teachers, the community, and colleges that a student is an accomplished artist or writer.
David DuBose, GCPS director of Fine Arts, is proud of the district’s students, but says he’s not surprised. “Gwinnett County Public Schools always has a strong showing in visual arts events such as this due to the dedication of our high schools in providing high-quality art programs for their students,” DuBose says. “Schools are dedicated to hiring high-quality teachers and artists to provide instruction and inspiration to our incredibly talented students.”
Gwinnett students won 268 regional art awards and 20 regional writing awards. In addition, work from two GCPS students—Charlene Chung of Peachtree High School (“Wonderous Choice,” mixed media) and Grace Liu of Parkview HS (“Daikon Legs,” poetry)—has been nominated for the prestigious Scholastic Art and Writing American Voices Award. The honor goes to the work that most exemplifies originality, technical skill, and the emergence of a personal voice or vision. In total, GCPS students earned 62 Gold Key Awards, 99 Silver Key Awards, and 127 Honorable Mention Awards. Student work that earns a Gold Key at the regional level advances to national competition.
DuBose says, like last year, the entries this year reflect the current conditions students are living in. “As with any artform, art imitates life so the work that is created by the students represents, in many aspects, the challenges that the pandemic and other recent events have posed on the students and their communities,” Dubose says. “During this pandemic, Gwinnett County Public Schools has insisted on students having the ability to continue to study the arts through any and all instructional models, clearly demonstrating its dedication to the whole child and the importance of keeping students engaged in and through the arts. Although we have seen a slight decrease in student participation numbers in all aspects of external events, that has not impacted the high-quality work and talent on display.”
The Alliance for Young Artists and Writers is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization whose mission is to identify students with exceptional artistic and literary talent and present their remarkable work to the world through the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards. The Awards give students opportunities for recognition, exhibition, publication, and scholarships.