Press Releases

MONTEREY, Calif. - June 16, 2009 - Four Santa Catalina students were honored on stage at Carnegie Hall during The Alliance for Young Artists & Writers' Scholastic Art & Writing Awards 2009 National Ceremony in New York City held June 3-5th. Lower School Student Nathan Doherty received a Gold Award for Computer Art, Upper School student Andrea Kohatsu won a Silver Award for Graphic Design and Lower School Students Hannah Clevenger and Anna Shokareva received Silver Awards for Computer Art. Computer teacher Susan Kendall was also presented a Gold Medal in recognition for her role as a teacher and mentor.

Thirteen students from Dana Hart-Stone's, Susan Smith's and Susan Kendall's art and computer classes received Gold Keys: Natalie Collom for Painting; Andrea Kohatsu for Graphic Design; Bridget Bartz and Alex McWhorter for Sculpture; Elena Dreyer, Victoria Kohatsu, and Lucy Scattini for Printmaking; and Hannah Clevenger, Caroline Conron, Nathan Doherty, Madeline Fithian, Francesca Murray, and Anna Shokareva for Computer Art.

Only a small percentage of the talented students who submit creative work win Gold Key Awards, which then places their work in the national competition for the Gold and Silver Awards.

"It is important to acknowledge visual literacy, to celebrate that part of the child, which is integral to the education of the student" said Susan Kendall. "It is a long standing belief in education and reflects the mission of our school."

The three judges for the arts awards were sculptor, Tom Otterness; painter Philip Pearlstein; and Wendy Woon, the Deputy Director of MOMA. Panelists look for works that best exemplify originality, technical proficiency, and the emergence of an authentic voice and vision.

For nearly 90 years, The Alliance for Young Artists and Writers' Scholastic Art and Writing Awards have been the preeminent showcases of student creativity, recognizing the nation's emerging teenage artists and writers. Santa Catalina's Gold and Silver Award winners follow in the tracks of famous artists and writers including Richard Avedon, Truman Capote, Joyce Carol Oates, Sylvia Plath, Zac Posen, Robert Redford, Cy Twombly, Tom Otterness and Andy Warhol who also received Gold and Silver Awards as teenagers.

### About Santa Catalina School
Santa Catalina School is dedicated to the education of young people between the ages of 4-18, giving careful consideration to the individual abilities and potential of each child. The school's mission is to balance intellectual growth with spiritual awareness, creativity with order, and individuality with compassion. Santa Catalina School is enriched by the diversity of socioeconomic, religious, geographic, and cultural backgrounds represented by students and faculty. The Upper School includes boarding students from 14 states and 9 countries. Local students come from not only the Central Coast, but also from cities as far away as Gilroy, King City, Santa Cruz, San Jose and Santa Clara. For more information visit www.santacatalina.org or call 831.655.9300.