FIRST UP on GMW is an occasional column that highlights shorter announcements or updates, and helps you get a quick start to the Wilton news of the day. Have a news tip, item or something you know people are chatting about? Email us at editor@goodmorningwilton.com.
WHS Students Advance from National Merit Semifinalists to Finalists
Wilton High School announced this week that all 10 students named Semifinalists in the National Merit Scholarship Program competition have advanced to Finalist standing. The finalists will be considered for National Merit Scholarship Awards to be offered later this year.
The WHS seniors who have been recognized as National Merit Finalists are Christopher Du, Shawn Gregory, Illeas Paschalidis, Arjun Patel, Katherine Rusin, Arian Shah, Saniya Shah, Siddharth Suneja, Shayna Wilson-Spiro and Daniel Zoubarev!
Wilton Students Win at State-Level PTA Reflections Art Competition
The Connecticut PTA has announced the winners of its State-Level Reflections Art Competition. After Wilton Public Schools’ district-wide Reflections Art Competition winners from each school were announced in January, Wilton’s first-place winners advanced to the state-wide competition.
The following students were recognized at the state level, including eight first-place winners, who will go on to represent Connecticut in the National PTA Reflections Competition.
Wilton High School
- Finley Kaeyer: Photography, “The Melody of Spring” — 1st
- Ekaterina Falina: Film Production, “Dream BIG” — 1st
- Arnav Pandey: Music Composition, “The Forgotten” — 1st
- Illeas Paschalidis: Literature, “A Life Ahead of Me” — 1st
- Kaitlyn Vallerie: Visual Art, “Sustainable Future” — 2nd
Middlebrook Middle School
- Dylan Pamnani: Photography, “Benjamin Franklin” — 1st
- Magnolia Tesler: Special Artist, “Like Water” — 1st
- Jiya Praveen: Film Production, “Changing for the Better” — 2nd
Cider Mill School
- Sloka Attaluri: Literature, “Small Steps” — 1st
- Ellie Wang: Music Composition, “Shadows Into Light” — 2nd
- Charlotte Gimmel: Dance Choreography, “You Can Do It” — 3rd
Miller-Driscoll Elementary School
- Dhruti Patel: Literature, “I Am Hopeful for Rainbow” — 1st
- Ajaykrishna Premkumar: Visual Arts, “I Am Hopeful Because…” — 2nd
- Grayden Tesler: Film Production, “Peace” — 4th
These students will be recognized at the CT Reflections Awards Ceremony on Wednesday, May 29 at 7 p.m. at Fairfield Warde High School.
Wilton Students Announced as 2024 Scholastic Art Award Recipients
Wilton art teachers announced that several art students were recognized for outstanding achievement at the 2024 Connecticut Region Scholastic Art Award show held at Hartford Art School: Wilton High School students Bernie Huang, Danielle Westgate, Ava Keogh, Jessica Fang, Theodore Satrazemis, Josie Silva, Shayna Wilson-Spiro and Muna Jallow, and Middlebrook Middle School student Moon Zhang.
Wilton ranked as one of the top schools in the State of CT for the most medals won at this year’s awards. Wilton secured a total of 14 awards, including eight gold medals, two silver medals, and four honorable mention awards.
WHS art teacher Susanne Brandt highlighted Theodore Satrazemis, who was awarded the prestigious “American Visions Award” and a gold medal for his captivating photograph: “Curious About Life in LA.” Each region in the country has jurors select up to five works to be nominated for the American Visions award. These nominated works are then reviewed by national judges to receive the single “American Visions Award” for the Scholastics Art awards. Congratulations to Theodore for his
Jessica Fang was singled out for winning “Best in Show for Painting” and a gold medal with her piece “Ephemeral Release.” This achievement propels her into the National competition. Jessica won a total of three scholastics awards, which is an outstanding achievement.
Ava Keogh‘s dedication, creativity, and artistic prowess earned her not only a gold medal for her mixed media piece titled “Threaded Echoes of Despair” but also the prestigious “Best in Show for Mixed Media” award.
In addition, Keogh and Shayna Wilson-Spiro were each awarded the prestigious “Artist of Promise Scholarship” for the Hartford Art School, with each scholarship valued at $23,000 per year for a total four-year award of $92,000.
All the gold medalists’ pieces are now being judged at the national level where the finalists will be awarded at Carnegie Hall in June. Stay tuned for the results of this competition!
Explore the award-winning art pieces by clicking on the link below:
2024 Scholastics Art Recipients
The Scholastics Art Awards, dedicated to identifying students with exceptional artistic talent, serve as a platform to showcase their remarkable work. As the nation’s longest-running and most prestigious recognition program for creative teens, Scholastics values originality, technical skills, and the emergence of a personal voice or vision in the submitted works.
Student winners were:
Theo Satrazemis
American Visions Award
Gold Key — Mixed Media, High School
Ava Keogh
Connecticut Art Education Association Best in Mixed Media Award
Gold Key — Mixed Media, High School
Jessica Fang
Connecticut Art Education Association Best in Painting
Gold Key — Drawing and Illustration, High School
Silver Key — Mixed Media, High School
Gold Key — Painting, High School
Bernie Huang
Gold Key — Digital Art, High School
Gold Key — Mixed Media, High School
Silver Key — Digital Art, High School
Honorable Mention — Art Portfolio
Shayna Wilson-Spiro
Honorable Mention — Art Portfolio
Moon Zhang
Gold Key — Digital Art, Middle School
Maimuna Jallow
Honorable Mention — Digital Art, High School
Danielle Westgate
[unspecified] — Film and Animation, High School
Josie Silva
Gold Key — Photography