Brandon Twp.- Brandon students are showing their artistic abilities yet again, after 26 pieces out of 50 were selected for honors in the 2006 Southeastern Michigan Scholastic Art Awards.
Brandon High School art teachers Jennifer Polasek and Jamie Kapp were able to select 25 art pieces from their students for competition, while Brandon Middle School art teacher Julie Hock chose 25 of her students? pieces. Some students had more than one artwork honored.
‘They’re a fantastic bunch of kids and they all work really hard,? said Polasek, who is in her second year teaching at BHS and had 18 winners last year.
The biggest winner this year for BHS was Kelly Craciun, a junior who won a Gold Key for her drawing, ‘Peek-a-Boo.? The drawing will be sent to New York soon for judging in the National Scholastic Art and Writing Awards. Craciun also won two silver keys, both for drawing. She is a seasoned veteran of the competition, having won a Gold Key last year in drawing and a Silver Key in 2004 in clay.
Other BHS Silver Key winners were Kara Plumm in product design; Matt Porter in painting; Julie Quinell in photography; and Melissa Swineford in drawing.
BHS Certificate winners were Elissa Fortner in ceramics; Rebecca Kather in painting; and in drawing, Sylwia Palmi, Jessica Swineford, and two awards each for Julia Reo and Melissa Swineford.
For Brandon Middle School, eighth grader Taylor Barton won four Silver Keys, three in drawing and one in painting. Classmate Lauren Smyth also won two Silver Keys, both in drawing, and Brooke Buchanan won a Silver Key in painting. Certificate winners were Hannah Allgaier, Dorian DeMarais and Justin Hughes, all in drawing, and Molly Pappas in printmaking.
The Brandon students? winning artwork is being displayed until Feb. 19 at the College for the Creative Studies, 201 E. Kirby, Detroit, as part of the Southeastern Michigan Scholastic Art Awards 2006 Regional Exhibition. Details: (313) 664-7400.