C.J. Hooker Middle School art students won 16 Gold Key Awards, 18 Silver Key Awards, and 30 Honorable Mentions at the regional Scholastic Art Awards under the guidance of art teachers Amber Brown and Michael Perez.
Student art was selected by some of the foremost leaders in the visual and literary arts for excellence in originality, technical skill, and the emergence of a personal voice or vision.
On average, more than 800 works of art are submitted by students in the region for the Scholastic Art Competition. Only two percent of the total submitted artwork is awarded, and less than one percent receive Gold Keys, which enter those students to compete at the national level.
“As teachers we are very proud and honored to have such dedicated and gifted students in our classes,” said Brown. “It is a great achievement and I hope this encourages our students to continue developing their artistic skills and achieve similar results in the future.
“Please join me in congratulating all of the talented students we have here at CJH!”
![A painting of a bedroom: a bed with white sheets and pillows, wooden accents, and green leaves within and outside the room.](https://www.gcsny.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/Greenhouse-Maggie-Lu-1-1024x817.jpg)
![A painting of a red candle with a red, orange and yellow flame flickering against a black background.](https://www.gcsny.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/Light-in-the-Dark-Amelia-Arbizo-1-770x1024.jpg)
![A sculpture of a bubble that looks like it is made of glass with bubbles in it. Light refracts off the surface and the sculpture sits on a wooden platform.](https://www.gcsny.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/The-bubble-Katherine-Thornell-2-786x1024.jpg)
“The bubble” by Katherine Thornell
![A person sits with legs and arms curled into their body, head tucked down, surrounded by pages of books, notebooks, and a laptop.](https://www.gcsny.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/Whats-even-the-point-Lauren-Henderson-2-684x1024.jpg)
![A photo of yellow jellyfish floating in dark blue water.](https://www.gcsny.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/Golden-Ghosts-Maggie-Lu-2-713x1024.jpg)
![A photograph of a pink, orange and purple sunset is out of focus behind iron bars of some sort of balcony.](https://www.gcsny.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/Captured-Radiance-Kaylie-Morabito-2-768x1024.png)
Gold Key Awards
Amelia Arbizo, grade 8
- Nature’s Harmony, photography
- Fading Beauty, photography
- Tropical Toucan, drawing & illustration
- Together as One, drawing & illustration
- Light in the Dark, drawing & illustration
- Ignorance, editorial cartoon sponsored by The Herb Block Foundation
Nathan Cubillo, grade 8
- The Day the World Changed, artchitecture & industrial design
Lauren Henderson, grade 8
- What’s even the point?, mixed media
Maggie Lu, grade 8
- Hypocrite, drawing & illustration
- Golden Ghosts, photography
- Antelope, photography
- Greenhouse, architecture & industrial design
Kaylie Morabito, grade 8
- Captured Radiance, photography
- Path to Beauty, photography
Katherine Thornell, grade 8
- The bubble, sculpture
Julia Wilson, grade 8
- Maui Fire, painting
![A drawing of a self portrait of a girl with long dark hair parted in the middle and a smile that makes her eyes sparkle.](https://www.gcsny.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/Self-Portrait-Amelia-Arbizo-733x1024.jpg)
![A colorful blue, gold, green, and red image of soldiers hugging each other behind two people shaking hands, wrists covered in a Palestinian flag on the left and Israeli flag on the right.](https://www.gcsny.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/the-war-in-the-middle-east-Bridget-Pettus-654x1024.jpg)
![Photograph of a night sky with stars and trees.](https://www.gcsny.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/Starlight-Isabella-Barbee-724x1024.jpg)
![A painting of a skull with bloodshot eyes reading a book called "Chamber of Horrors" by Lauren Henderson, with an antique candle holder and book shelf in the background.](https://www.gcsny.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/Chamber-of-Horrors-Lauren-Henderson-728x1024.jpg)
![Sculpture of what looks like a pink/red brain with blue liquid being poured out of a glass onto it and spilling below.](https://www.gcsny.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/Just-Focus-Sophie-Marmo-549x1024.jpg)
![A collage of a cat in front of a planet with a video game controller.](https://www.gcsny.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/Astronomical-Gaming-Cat-Jayden-Hopper-636x1024.jpg)
Silver Key Awards
Amelia Arbizo, grade 8
- Street Lights, photography
- Big Ben, photography
- The Starry Night, photography
- Kaleidoscope, photography
- Enchanted Glow, photography
- Self-Portrait, drawing & illustration
- W14, drawing & illustration
Isabella Barbee, grade 8
- Starlight, photography
Bella Gonzales, grade 8
- Bella, drawing & illustration
Lauren Henderson, grade 8
- Golden Hour, photography
- Chamber of Horrors, painting
Jayden Hopper, grade 8
- Astronomical Gaming Cat, painting
Maggie Lu, grade 8
- Golden Waves, photography
Bridget Pettus, grade 8
- Scary Dinosaurs, painting
- the war in the middle east, painting
Jaxson Markiewicz, grade 8
- Untitled #1, ceramics & glass
Sophie Marmo, grade 8
- Just Focus, sculpture
Kaylie Morabito, grade 8
- Kaylie, drawing & illustration
![A painting of the silhouette of a girl surrounded by white flowers and a windy red and yellow Chinese dragon breathing fire from its mouth.](https://www.gcsny.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/The-spirit-dragon-Bella-Gonzales-760x1024.jpg)
![A drawing of a cat skull against a white background.](https://www.gcsny.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/Skull-of-Felis-Catus.-Katherine-Thornell-1012x1024.jpg)
![A drawing of the profile of a tiger's face facing to the right with a blue butterfly approaching to land on its nose against a beige background.](https://www.gcsny.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/Peace-Amelia-Arbizo-825x1024.jpg)
![A mixed media art piece made of metal and objects in the shape of a tree.](https://www.gcsny.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/Electricitree-Sr.-Alexa-Krabbe-675x1024.jpg)
![A cartoon of a hungry homeless person sitting outside a brick building next to a sign that says "please help, starving, money/food" with people eating a Thanksgiving turkey inside saying, "I'm so stuffed!" and a list of tips to make Thanksgiving better on the ground outside.](https://www.gcsny.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/Hunger-Kaylie-Morabito-771x1024.jpg)
![An image of black and white cartoon doodle background with a colorful orange basketball, dog with sunglasses, paintbrush, yellow symbol and soccerball. A boy with a camera that has the galaxy in the lens is in the front center.](https://www.gcsny.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/Doodle-Camera-Guy-Maksym-Zalusky-784x1024.jpg)
Honorable Mentions
Juliet Andryshak
- Family, painting
Amelia Arbizo
- The City That Never Sleeps, photography
- Roman Forum, photography
- The Eiffel Tower, photography
- Coastal Beauty, drawing & illustration
- Lost in Space, painting
- Peace, drawing & illustration
- Venom, drawing & illustration
- Despair, drawing & illustration
- Treasure from Trash, sculpture
Isabella Barbee
- Blossoming Twilight, painting
Bella Gonzales
- The spirit dragon, painting
Lauren Henderson
- Whispering Woods, photography
- Melting Conversations, editorial cartoon sponsored by The Herb Block Foundation
- Starry Strings, sculpture
Elizabeth Johnson
- Musicly Music, drawing & illustration
Alexa Krabbe
- Electricitree Sr., mixed media
Maggie Lu
- Looking back, photography
- Nature, photography
- Overhang, photography
- Who knows, photography
Sophie Marmo
- An apple for your teacher, comic art
Kaylie Morabito
- Hunger, editorial cartoon sponsored by The Herb Block Foundation
- Through the Lens, mixed media
Bridget Pettus
- the freedom of the west, painting
Zara Singh
- Drifted, drawing & illustration
Ashlee Smith
- Self Hatred Will Ruin You, drawing & illustration
Amelia Thomas
- Attending my own funeral, fashion
Katherine Thornell
- Skull of Felis Catus., drawing & illustration
Maksym Zalusky
- Doodle Camera Guy, drawing & illustration