Odessa Baker of Dynard E.S. explain her work of art to School, Superintendent Scott Smith and school board member Rita Weaver.

Leonardtown, MD — With summer vacation in full swing, the St. Mary’s County Board of Education paused to honor student artists who won awards during the school year. The presentations took place at the school board’s regular June 29 meeting.

Among the honorees are students whose art will be on display at the school system’s central office. Former superintendent Dr. Michael Martirano had filled the building with student art. Current Superintendent Scott Smith is taking a different approach. The Superintendent’s Art Gallery will feature about seven or eight works of student art, to be rotated on a quarterly basis.

The first student art on display is from:
• Joseph Aley of Margaret Brent Middle School
• Odessa Baker of Dynard Elementary School
• Holly Drury of Leonardtown High School
• Lily Magee of Captain Walter Francis Duke Elementary School
• Dejan Mason of Great Mills High School
• Joshua Miller of Lettie Marshall Dent Elementary School
• Gabriel Oakley of Piney Point Elementary School
• Brandon Reyes of Green Holly Elementary School

The art will be on display in the board’s conference room and the lobby leading to the superintendent’s office. Smith quipped that it will give the board something interesting to look at during boring meetings.

Also honored during the event was Tara Auman of Chopticon High School, who was winner of the Fifth Congressional District art competition sponsored by Congressman Steny Hoyer for high school students from his district which includes St. Mary’s Calvert, Charles, Prince George’s and Anne Arundel counties. Her artwork will be on display in the main corridor connecting the House office buildings with the U.S. Capitol.

Each year the Woman’s Club of St. Mary’s County holds a Youth Art Month Contest. This year Women’s Club representative Suzanne Biggs organized the contest with the school system’s supervisor of Fine Arts Laurel Dietz. This year’s winners are:
• First Place — Lauren Crandall of Leonardtown High School
• 2nd Place — Charlotte Wood of Leonardtown Middle School
• Third Place – Samantha Holz of Leonardtown Middle School
• Honorable Mention – Logan Carter of Leonardtown Middle School
• Honorable Mention – Samantha Wells of Leonardtown Middle School

Also during the school year, the Boyden Gallery and the Department of Educational Studios at St. Mary’s College of Maryland invited all county schools to participate in their third annual art exhibition. The exhibition was juried by Clare Nichols, a Baltimore based artist and museum educator at Maryland Science Center. This year’s awardees were:
• Viewer’s Choice Award – Emily Rogers of Evergreen Elementary Schools
• 1st Place Grades K-5 Juror’s Award for Outstanding Work – Koen Bowling of Lettie Marshall Dent Elementary
• 2nd Place Grades K-5 Juror’s Award for Outstanding Work – Michael Stull of Town Creek Elementary School
• 1st Place Grades 6-8 Juror’s Award for Outstanding Work – Amber Fanelli of Margaret Brent Middle School.
• 2nd Place Grades 6-8 Juror’s Award for Outstanding Work – Russell Poon of Margaret Brent Middle School
• 1st Place Grades 9-10 Juror’s Award for Outstanding Work – Rebecca Collier of Chopticon High School
• 2nd Place Grades 9-10 Juror’s Award for Outstanding Work – Leif Bugler of Great Mills High School
• 1st Place Grades 11-12 Juror’s Award for Outstanding Work – Ethan Moser of Great Mills High School
• 2nd Place Grades 11-12 Juror’s Award for Outstanding Work – Hao Ngoc Nguyen of Great Mills High School
• Juror’s Award for Excellence in the Exhibition – Christina Barclay of Great Mills High School

Dietz acted as MC for the award’s ceremony. Afterward the ceremony the board took a break so everyone could view the art on display.

Contact Dick Myers at dick.myers@thebaybnet.com