Congratulations to Chatham Middle School (CMS) students Teesta Bhola -Shah, Joana Jayanth and Alicia Liu for becoming National Medalists in the 2023 Scholastic Art & Writing Awards, the nation’s longest-running, most prestigious recognition program for creative teens. The competition which has been supporting the future of creativity since 1923, is celebrating its Centennial year, and these CMS students have joined the prestigious community of award winners including Joyce Carol Oates, Truman Capote, Sylvia Plath and Tracy Reese.
Each student submitted work in the fall and won regional recognition before moving on to the national competition. Entries are selected for awards without knowledge of the student’s gender, age, ethnicity or hometown and are judged by foremost leaders in the visual and literary arts. Jurors look for works that exemplify the Awards’ core values: originality, skill, and the emergence of a personal voice or vision.
Teesta Bhola - Shah, an 8th grader at CMS, entered 6 pieces of writing, earning a Silver Key, two Honorable Mentions and three Gold Keys in the regional competition advancing her to the national competition where she was awarded a Gold Medal for her fiction story “A New Zoya.”
Joana Jayanth, an 8th grader at CMS, submitted an original piece of poetry titled “Paper and Stone” which earned a Gold Key in the regional competition, advancing her to the national competition where she was awarded a Gold Medal.
Alicia Liu, an 8th grader at CMS, entered 4 pieces of original artwork, earning a Silver Key, an Honorable Mention and two Gold Keys which advanced her to the national competition. Her artwork titled “It’s Snowing” was awarded a Silver Medal.