Three NHS Artists Win For Their Work

By Eliza Hallabeck

The General Federation of Women’s Clubs of Connecticut has honored three Newtown High School artists with prizes for their work that was recently entered into a statewide contest.

The students won for their painting and sculptures. Of the 19 entered pieces of artwork from Newtown High School, three were considered winners. There were 192 pieces of art entered from across the state.

Nicky Haylon won second prize for her drawing titled “Reflections,” Sara Brainard won first prize for her sculpture “Pandas,” and Max Beitel won third prize for his sculpture “Go with the Flow.”

This was the first year Newtown High School students could enter their work, because it was the first year the Newtown Woman’s Club registered its town school for entry. The contest has been a yearly event at the Alzheimer’s Resource Center in Southington.

The artwork is displayed in the foyer every year, said Marcia Cavanaugh, a member of the Newtown Woman’s Club who was in charge of entering the artwork from Newtown High School.

“And there was just a sea, a forest of isles,” she said while describing the exhibit at the Alzheimer’s Resource Center.

The winning students will be presented with prizes in the form of money. The money was raised by members of the individual towns’ Woman’s Clubs.

“I was happy and I was proud of myself,” said Sara, one of the winning students who described her work as a tall sculpture with pandas and bamboo. She said the sculpture was designed around the concept of incorporating animals in artwork. Sara said she used pandas because, “I just like pandas.”

When she submitted her sculpture into the contest, Sara said she knew she would win “because what I made was good.”

According to Ms Cavanaugh, professional artists judged the work on a scale from one to ten.

“It’s the fairest way to judge it I suppose,” said Ms Cavanaugh.

After the artwork was entered by the students, Ms Cavanaugh drove the work to Southington to be judged.

“My car was loaded right to the brim with all this artwork,” she said.

There were three prizes for each category of artwork. Students could enter paintings, drawings, graphics, photography, and sculpture.

“It was a new competition for us,” said Diane Dutchick, an art teacher at the Newtown High School, “and I hope we can enter again.”

Ms Dutchick said she was responsible for boxing the artwork to be sent to the competition. She said students helped to move the art into Ms Cavanaugh’s car.

When Ms Dutchick found out about the competition, she said, she started contacting students to see if they wanted to be entered into the contest.

“I think they were honored that we submitted their work,” said Ms Dutchick. “And I think it is good for them to see where they stand with other students in the state.”

Ms Dutchick said the students all ready had an array of work ready to be submitted, because of the projects they had been working on over the school year.