Canton students honored with Scholastic Art & Writing Awards; district marks Youth Art Month

Teachers and students from Canton Public Schools were recognized at the March 13 school committee meeting for awards and juried exhibition acceptances tied to Scholastic Art & Writing and regional youth art shows.

At the meeting Trish Palmer, pre‑K–12 visual arts coordinator, said 20 Canton High School students were accepted into two Massachusetts Art Education Association Youth Art Month online exhibitions and six students were selected for UMass Dartmouth’s emerging young artists juried exhibition. “This year, 20 Canton High School students were accepted into these two exhibitions,” Palmer said.

Scholastic regional winners the district announced included: - Gavin Pichard, gold key (photography), “Lost in the City” (student spoke briefly at the meeting: “I’m very excited. I kept my picture pretty simple.”) - Bella Kowalski, silver key (photography), “A Different Perspective” (not present) - Caitlin Turesky, honorable mention (photography), “Determination” (statement read by staff) - Amelia Jamon, honorable mention (watercolor), “The Red Crown” (not present) - Claire Wang, silver key (drawing & illustration), “Sleepy” — a seventh‑grader who entered work outside of class and received a middle‑school division award; Claire said she drew a self‑portrait “in an emotion” and used colored pencils.

Tara Iacobucci, an English teacher who works with the district’s writer’s workshop, introduced student writing award recipients and invited some students to read brief excerpts. Ava (surname in packet) and Morgan Smith were named as writing award recipients; Morgan described the narrator in her piece and read a short passage at the meeting.

Palmer and Iacobucci announced the district’s Artist in Bloom exhibit, a collaboration with the Canton Garden Club that pairs student art with floral interpretations; the presentation materials and a print flyer were referenced during the meeting for dates and times.

Why it matters: Student recognition in regional juried shows and national Scholastic competitions raises visibility for Canton arts programs and, the presenters said, supports arts education as part of broader learning objectives. “When students engage in learning in art classes, they become creative problem solvers, critical thinkers, empathetic of diverse perspectives, and practice collaborators,” Palmer told the committee.

The district said gold‑key Scholastic work will advance to the national level and that regional gold‑key pieces will be on exhibit in Boston beginning next weekend, per the presentation. The district also encouraged the public to attend the all‑district show in May and the Artist in Bloom community exhibit later in March (dates and locations were provided at the meeting and in the district’s event materials).

Ending: Committee members and staff congratulated the students and invited the public to view student work online and at upcoming community exhibits.