WAIMEA — Parker School is pleased to announce junior Zoe Vann-Smith has earned a national gold medal in the 2018 Scholastic Art &Writing Awards.
Vann-Smith was selected by a panel of creative professionals as one of the most talented in the nation, and received a Scholastic national gold medal award for her personal essay and memoir titled “I am 12 years old.” She has been invited to attend a ceremony at the world-famous Carnegie Hall in New York City on June 7, where she’ll receive her award certificate.
This year, more than 350,000 works of art and writing were submitted. Vann-Smith is among the top 1 percent of students awarded at the national level, and the only recipient from Hawaii’s Big Island.
Eight additional Parker upper school students earned 10 regional awards out of 1,500 submissions in the state. Tenth-grade silver key recipients included Ryanne Doherty in digital art, Jordan Vedelli in photography, Tierney Wold in digital art, and eleventh-graders Jadyn Ashcraft in photography, Maya Ellsworth in painting, Abigail Jeremiah in short story and painting and Erica Yost in painting. Gold key recipients were 11th-graders Jadyn Ashcraft and Jenna Harris in digital art. She also earned a financial scholarship.
Since 1923, the Scholastic Art &Writing Awards have recognized creative teenagers from across the country. By earning this award, Vann-Smith joins a legacy of celebrated authors and artists including Andy Warhol, Sylvia Plath, Stephen King, Robert Redford and Lena Dunham, among others.