Apr. 25, 2024 -- Heights High has been sending student art work to the juried Scholastic Art & Writing Competition, organized locally by the Cleveland Institute of Art, for at least the past fifteen years. And Heights High’s artists win awards every single time. But this year, an especially talented bunch of student artists and writers were recognized for their contributions. Fifteen students earned a total of 37 awards in what high school art teacher Sarah Cooper described as “a very prestigious art show. It is quite an honor for students to be accepted into it at all.”

The honored works will be on display, alongside that of other high school winners from across Northeast Ohio, at CIA’s Reinberger Gallery from May 18th through June 1st. Works awarded regional Gold Key and Silver Key honors will then go on to the national competition, organized by the Alliance for Young Artists & Writers, with the chance to win cash awards and scholarships worth up to $12,500.

According to the Alliance for Young Artists & Writers, entries are selected for awards “by some of the foremost leaders in the visual and literary arts.” Judges are looking for originality, skill, and “the emergence of a personal voice or vision.” Heights High’s students certainly seem to have that.

More than one hundred years old, the Scholastic competition boasts Andy Warhol, Ezra Jack Keats and Amanda Gorman among its notable alumni.

Senior Ruby Tugeau, who learned of the competition last year and opted to independently submit her writing, earned awards for five separate poems, including four Gold Key awards (the highest honor) and one Silver Key (the next highest honor).

According to her English teacher Katherine Strine, “Ruby is invested in building meaningful imagery and ideas in her poetry. Working with her on the editing process was a fun and creative exchange that illuminated the joy she has for the written word.”

Among the other students earning more than two awards for their art work were senior Charlotte Benham, who earned four awards for photography; junior Emma Naypauer, who earned four for mixed media and painting; and senior Juliet Duffy, who earned a whooping nine honors, including three Gold Keys, two Silver Keys and four Honorable Mentions. 

“Juliet Duffy stole the show,” said her art teacher Cooper. “This comes as no surprise considering Juliet’s skill, persistence, and intrinsic motivation. She has been a force in the art room since her very first day.” 

Heights High’s award-winning artwork ranged from jewelry and sculpture to editorial cartoons and collage, and included artists as young as freshmen. “I am so proud of the recognition Heights Artists received this year,” said Cooper. “The jury selections highlight the outstanding sustained efforts of our Senior Artists and shine a spotlight on the up-and-coming talent of our underclassmen.” 

A slideshow of the students' artwork can be found here.

The full list of Heights High winners:

Lost – Mixed Media, Honorable Mention

Serene Blooms – Photography, Silver Key

Demons Inside – Photography, Honorable Mention

Soaring On – Photography, Honorable Mention

The Pieces of Me – Photography, Honorable Mention

Enjoy the Silence – Sculpture, Honorable Mention

Girlhood – Portfolio Category, Honorable Mention

Accident – Mixed Media, Silver Key

DON’T PERCEIVE ME!! – Mixed Media, Gold Key

Kitchen Sunset – Drawing & Illustration, Gold Key

Salt and Peppers Revenge -- Digital Art, Gold Key

School Threat – Editorial Cartoon, Silver Key

TV Time! – Digital Art, Silver Key

Shredder vs. Cheddar – Portfolio Category, Honorable Mention

Shredder vs. Cheddar - Stop the Battle – Digital Art, Honorable Mention

Shooting Starburst – Film & Animation, Honorable Mention

The Promise – Digital Art, Honorable Mention

The “Plastic-cene” – Editorial Cartoon, Honorable Mention

Two dozen species of small mammals roaming through the forest. – Drawing & Illustration, Silver Key

12 Trillion Dollars Gone in 36 Hours – Drawing & Illustration, Honorable Mention

Mountains – Jewelry, Honorable Mention

Hands – Jewelry, Honorable Mention

One Is Silver and the Other Is Gold – Photography, Silver Key

Springtime – Poetry, Honorable Mention

Ghost arm – Photography, Honorable Mention

Eternity – Mixed Media, Silver Key

Façade – Painting, Silver Key

Shelter – Painting, Silver Key

Exhibition – Mixed Media, Honorable Mention

Clues – Photography, Honorable Mention

Loggerhead Hatchling – Digital Art, Honorable Mention

Just a Forest – Comic Art, Gold Key

(Panic) Attack – Poetry, Gold Key

Nameless/Shameless – Poetry, Gold Key

Present Tense – Poetry, Gold Key

The Lunchroom – Poetry, Gold Key

For the Thorn in My Side – Poetry, Silver Key