August Issue 2000
Guilford County Schools 2000 Superintendent's Choice Art Awards - The Results
The Guilford County School District headquartered in Greensboro, NC, holds an annual art competition for system-wide art students called the Superintendent's Choice Art Awards.
Each of the system's 95 elementary and secondary schools have the opportunity to submit student artwork (one per school). The work is then judged by the GCS Superintendent, Dr. Terry Grier.
The Top Winners are as follows: (listed by
Student, School, Art Teacher)
System Winner: Kylie Hughes, Jamestown Middle School (Grade 7)
Vicki Chaffin.
Elementary School Winner: Katie McAbee, Florence Elementary School
(Grade 5) Barbara Freeman.
Middle School Winner: Emma Ravenel, Mendenhall Middle School (Grade
8) Lynn Powell.
High School Winner: Kelly McCance, Northwest Guilford High (Grade
12) Julie Church.
Honorable Mention Winners are as follows: (
listed by Student, School, and Art Teacher)
Eshay Bethea, Parkview Elementary, Susan Williams; Erin
Fagge, Jefferson Elementary, Mary Bryan; Ashley Reece,
Pleasant Garden, Judith West; Amy Horne, Southern Guilford
High, Lisa Woods; Sara Ward, Kiser Middle, Marsha Wright;
Alex Bowman, Pilot Elementary, Beth Spivey; Austin Robertshaw,
Alamance Elementary, Cindy Reid; Jared Wright, Brightwood
Elementary, Susan McCarthy; Stacy Drye, Eastern Guilford
High, Linda Fields; Kaylynn Brown, Eastern Middle, Kim
Courtney; Kim Nguyen, Ferndale Middle, Helen Palmenteri;
Brandon Davis, Jesse Wharton Elementary, Mary Beth Boone;
and Sheryl Forsyth, Grimsley High, Phyllis Moore.
Emma Ravenel's artwork was selected for our cover this month because it was the best image to convert to black and white, and the editor of Carolina Arts is a good friend of the family. "I wouldn't have even known about this competition and exhibit if Emma hadn't mentioned it one day in passing," said Tom Starland, editor and publisher of Carolina Arts. "I wasn't surprised, she's a very creative and talented person. I thought it would be good to showcase some student art on the cover - it's not often that we feature student art. And, I guess in her case, it pays to have connections," said Starland.
"Unfortunately, not much attention is paid to student art - in the real world, and I guess we reflect that attitude. A lot of funding and attention is directed towards it in the non-profit world, but there doesn't seem to be much follow-through after the funding is awarded," says Starland. "It's the same in college - they take the student's money, but most don't make the effort to publicize student shows".
Lynn Powell, Ravenel's art teacher at Mendenhall
Middle School, stated, "Our selection for the Superintendent's
Choice Awards was a choice between two students. I picked Emma's
artwork because I thought it was the best chance we had to win
in a while with an image that had general appeal." Powell
said she has gotten good at choosing artwork which she feels has
a better chance of being selected for competitions.
Ravenel was also selected to win this year's Mendenhall Middle
School 8th Grade Art Student of the Year Award.
When asked what she thought about having her artwork featured on the cover of an arts newspaper, Ravenel said, " I was surprised and didn't believe it was really going to happen. I like winning awards, but I just want to make good art."
The top four award winning artworks will be
on display at the Guilford County School District Office at 120
Franklin Boulevard, on the East side of Greensboro, through Aug.
31. The office is open Mon.-Fri., 8am-5pm.
For further information call Alan Parker, Arts Education Specialist,
at 336/370-8323.
Mailing Address: Carolina Arts, P.O. Drawer
427, Bonneau, SC 29431
Telephone, Answering Machine and FAX: 843/825-3408
E-Mail: carolinart@aol.com
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