Groton artists earn 96 Scholastic Art and Writing awards

Forty-six Groton students have won ninety-six Scholastic Art and Writing awards this year, including twenty-two gold keys, the highest regional honor.

Colin Kim ’23 won a gold key for his mixed media work, “Pandora's Box—Euljiro,” one of nine awards he earned in total. Colin also received silver keys in drawing and illustration for “Creasing” and “Fishbowl,” in mixed media for “Tensegrity,” and in architecture and industrial design for “Seven Sins.” In addition, Colin received honorable mentions in painting, in architecture and industrial design, and for his art portfolio “Rudiments.”

Four students earned recognition in both visual arts and writing. Alisa Gulyansky ’24 won a gold key for the short story “The Death of a Flower,” two silver keys for critical essays “The Juxtaposition of Literature’s Ladybirds” and “An Explication of Richard Siken’s ‘Little Beast,’” and two silver keys in film and animation for “International Students’ Quest for Home” and “Mavka: an Eternal Childhood.” 

Amy Ma ’23 won one of the highest awards in Scholastics—a gold key for art portfolio—for “The State of Consumption,” as well as a silver key in mixed media for “The Pandemic Bubble.” Amy also took home a gold key in personal essay and memoir for “Emancipation in a Mason Jar” and a silver key in the same category for “Tonight I Dream of Tofu Soup.”

Cam Cunningham ’24 won a gold key in photography for “Lurking in Shallow Waters” and honorable mentions in photography for “Pedaling Man” and “Looking Onward.” He also earned honorable mention for his critical essay, “Colonialist Manipulation of European Perspective: Belgian Exploitation of the Congo at the turn of the Twentieth Century.”

Mei Matsui ’23 earned three awards in painting: a silver key for “The Centipede Returns” and honorable mentions for “Theoria Philosophiae Naturalis” and “Speaking to Him.” Her essay, “A Man of Heart, Sometimes,” won a silver key.

Sophia-Nicole Bay ’23 received three awards in personal essay and memoir writing: a gold key for “My Affidavit,” a silver key for “Growing Pains,” and honorable mention for “The Guest.” In addition, Sophia-Nicole’s writing portfolio “Burning Together” won a silver key.

Paopao Zhang ’24 won gold keys in mixed media for “DeConstruction” and in painting for “A Slice of Life.” Paopao received silver key awards in mixed media for “Stitched” and in painting for “Ruins” and “The Golden Reflection.” Paopao also took home honorable mentions in drawing and illustration and in painting.

Zimo Liu ’24 was another four-time winner, with a gold key in sculpture for “Oppression/Freedom: Let Me Out,” a silver key in sculpture for “Peace is Just a Word: Blood Stains,” and honorable mentions in expanded projects and in sculpture.

 

Fiona Reenan ’23 earned gold keys in personal essay and memoir for “Inheritance and Ireland” and in poetry for “behind the stained glass windows,” as well as two honorable mentions in poetry. 

 

Eric Ge ’24 won a gold key for his critical essay “Cloned but Equally Human: The Tragedy of Never Let Me GoI,” a silver key in journalism for “Lifting till Failure: The Alarming Rise of Teenage ‘Bigorexia,’” and a silver key in science fiction and fantasy for “Empty Dreams.”

Several other students were awarded multiple keys. Jiwoo Han ’24 received two awards in photography: a gold key for “Waiting for a Stranger” and honorable mention for “Flooded, Yet Surviving.” David Wang ’23 won a gold key in personal essay and memoir for memoir “Life in a Suitcase,” and an honorable mention in the same category.

Pauline McAndrew ’26 won two poetry gold keys for “Paulina on PAUSE” and “I Am a Thunderstorm.” Xiyuan Zheng ’26 took home a gold key for the critical essay “Ameliorating Poverty in Islam: The Utilization and Importance of Zakat” and honorable mention in personal essay and memoir.

Amanda Chang ’26 earned a silver key in personal essay and memoir for “Lost at Sea” and honorable mention in critical essay. Chloe Han ’25 received a silver key for the critical essay “The Hijab: A Symbol of Suppression or Liberation?” and honorable mention in poetry.

Jessica Lee ’24 won a silver key in poetry for “Manhattan.png” and honorable mention in personal essay and memoir. Michael Lu ’24 won a silver key in poetry for “Spacewalk” and honorable mention in science fiction and fantasy.

Madison St. Clair ’24 won a silver key in poetry for “The Lists” and honorable mention as well. Jessica Shapiro ’26 earned honorable mention for two poems, and Zoe Yang ’26 earned honorable mention in digital art and drawing and illustration.

 

Twenty-one additional students received writing awards, and three more earned awards for their visual art. Earning gold keys in writing were Sara Agrawal ’25 (flash fiction), Anna Duggan ’26 (short story), Maya Luthi ’23 (personal essay and memoir), and Qingyang Zhang ’24 (poetry).

Winning silver keys were Ava Bridges ’24 (short story), Brittany Deng ’24 (personal essay and memoir), Michaela Hanson ’24 (short story), Lucas Li ’23 (personal essay and memoir), Daniel Mao ’26 (flash fiction), Grace McAndrew ’25 (short story), Zola Sayers-Fay ’23 (humor).

Students whose writing received honorable mentions were Eliza Brooks ’26 (science fiction and fantasy), Sagata Das ’25 (critical essay), Olivia Ding ’26 (personal essay and memoir), 

Oliver El Hadj ’24 (short story), Isabella Gardiner ’24 (critical essay), Alicia Guo ’24 (critical essay), Devon Mastroianni ’23 (poetry), Bridget McAvoy ’24 (short story), Dilzafer Singh ’25 (short story), Liam Warren ’25 (poetry), and Yuehan Zhu ’25 (personal essay and memoir).

In visual art, silver keys went to Olivia Engstrom ’26 (photography) and Bensen Han ’23 (sculpture). Stephanie Mo ’26 received honorable mention in sculpture.