54 Scholastic Art Awards: That’s Hutchison STRONG!
Hutchison girls won 54 Mid-South Scholastic Art Awards this year, with 19 Gold Keys, 15 Silver Keys, and 20 Honorable Mentions.
Drawing and illustration, mixed media, and photography…Once again, our girls were recognized for their incredible talent in the visual arts. With 54 awards, Hutchison led all other independent schools in the regional competition.
Congratulations are also in order for the professional working artists who work with our girls each day. They foster a classroom environment that inspires students to express their creativity and strengthen their confidence, critical thinking, and problem-solving skills.
The Mid-South Scholastic Art Awards offers the girls a chance to compete on a regional and national level. It is an opportunity for them to be recognized for their talent and creativity. It is also a way for the public to see the level of work that is produced on a consistent basis by Hutchison’s visual art department.
Madison Morris ’20: Two Gold Keys in Painting, One in Art Portfolio, One in Comic Art - American Visions Nominee
Personal Vision Award for The Log
Senior Division First Place for Early Mornings Spent Fishing
American Visions Award Nominee for Early Mornings Spent Fishing
Caroline Seamons ’20: Drawing & Illustration
Madelyn Simcoe ’21: Drawing & Illustration
Senior Division Drawing Award for Water bottles
Anne Skipworth ’20: Art Portfolio
Isabell Snead ’23: Photography
Anna Rose Thomas ’21: Drawing & Illustration
Betty Jane Thomas ’21: Drawing & Illustration
Shade Webb ’20: Two Gold Keys in Drawing & Illustration
Marilyn Wiener ’20: Drawing & Illustration
Zoie Yarbrough ’20: Mixed Media
Silver Key Winners
Kati Ballo ’21: Photography
Alex Beard ’23: Painting
Kate Downs ’21: Drawing & Illustration
Zoe Gilmore ’22: Drawing & Illustration
Myanne James ’20: Drawing & Illustration
Madison Morris ’20: One Silver Key in Drawing & Illustration and One Silver Key in Comic Art
Caroline Robertson ’21: Drawing & Illustration
Caroline Seamons ’20: Art Portfolio
Madison Smith ’20: Two Silver Keys in Sculpture
Anna Rose Thomas ’21: Drawing & Illustration
Shade Webb ’20: Art Portfolio
Eve West ’21: Photography
Tate Whipple ’21: Drawing & Illustration
Honorable Mention Winners
Caroline Alexander ’21: Drawing & Illustration
Kati Ballo ’21: Photography
Zoe Gilmore ’22: Drawing & Illustration
Madeleine Jehl ’21: Drawing & Illustration
Camille Mattingly ’22: Mixed Media
Millie Mencke ’20: Drawing & Illustration
Madison Morris ’20: Two Honorable Mentions in Drawing & Illustration
Maya Risch ’21: Painting
Laney Robertson ’22: Photography
Caroline Seamons ’20: Drawing & Illustration
Sydney Short ’21: Photography
Madelyn Simcoe ’21: One Honorable Mention in Drawing & Illustration and One Honorable Mention in Mixed Media
Sophie Skolnick ’21: Drawing & Illustration
Madison Smith ’20: Sculpture
Isabell Snead ’23: Photography
Betty Jane Thomas ’21: Drawing & Illustration
Mayers Wallace ’20: One Honorable Mention in Art Portfolio and One Honorable Mention in Drawing & Illustration
The Memphis Brooks Museum of Art will exhibit Gold Key winning artwork from January 25-February 23, and host an awards ceremony for Gold Key, Silver Key, and Honorable Mention winners on Saturday, February 15. For the specific times of each award ceremony, click here.
Eleanor Merchant '23 wanted to find a way to help fight the national ongoing blood shortage, so she organized a blood drive at Hutchison. With her efforts over the past two years, blood donations at the Hutchison blood drive could have saved as many as 192 lives.
Allison Blankenship ’12 has committed her 10 years since graduating from Hutchison to working in the political arena, spending the last five years working in the U.S. House of Representatives.
Becca Coopwood ’27 serves as a student ambassador for The Social Institute, an organization that works to empower students to use social media and technology in a positive way. In her role, she helps produce blog posts from the perspective of students.
If you want to see Coach Thomas Jones light up, ask him about Maxine Engel ’21 and her journey from a rising ninth grader with a broken leg to a senior walking away as a State Champion. “You know how most coaches say, ‘I helped a kid?’ Well, she helped me. Helped me grow as a coach.
Seniors had a lot to say about the Tom Lee Park redevelopment after a recent Rogers Scholars excursion. And that's the point of these forays into the community. “They keep us aware of what is happening in our city, ultimately making us more well-rounded citizens,” said Emma Couch ’23.
Meet Katie Davis, one of Hutchison's third grade teachers. Ms. Davis enjoys taking on a challenge in the classroom and the freedom to follow her students' interests. She encourages her students to become lifelong learners.
The College Board has named Antonella Lejwa ’23 a National Hispanic Recognition Program Scholar, an honor reserved for a select number of outstanding students. She has proven herself through academic achievement and various extracurricular activities.
Middle school teacher Joe Koelsch loves quadratic equations like only a math teacher can. He wants his students to spend time understanding the equations before they rush to solve them. Koelsch, a national expert in Illustrative Math (IM), wrote in a leading blog for educators that IM’s focus on understanding processes, not just the pursuit of a right answer, can be a game-changer for math students.
Solving global issues requires research, critical thinking, proposal crafting, and challenging discussions, and our 7th and 8th graders are honing their diplomacy skills through Model United Nations. The YMCA Middle School Model UN Conference provides an opportunity for students to practice their debate and public speaking skills in a formal setting while encouraging them to find ways to join together as a community to solve current global issues.
Hutchison Lacrosse Head Coach David Gearhardt has been selected as an inductee into the Tennessee Lacrosse Hall of Fame. The longtime Sting coach is in the inaugural class of four, one of a very select group of historically significant contributors to lacrosse in the state of Tennessee.
The career of Berklee Scifres ’23 is only going in one direction – up! Scifres is signing a college scholarship to play basketball at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Daytona Beach, Florida, where she also plans to pursue a career in aviation.
Two Hutchison seniors signed to continue their athletic careers at the collegiate level and received athletic scholarships after terrific high school careers. Morgan Simmons ’23 and Kolby Cohen ’23 were honored at a signing ceremony held at the new Keras Complex.
Meet Lorraine Gagliano, Hutchison's Latin teacher. Mrs. Gagliano enjoys seeing individual students' English vocabulary and confidence grow. She hopes to spread her passion for the language and culture with her students.
It is a vivid memory for Lynn Witte Rodriguez ’78. She was a sophomore at Hutchison and on a field trip with her biology class, taught by Elsie Yeates, at the Veterans Administration Medical Center. “They packed us into this little room to watch hemodialysis,” she recalled. “I was horrified by the experience. The whole thing scared me to pieces. I remember sitting there, and someone told me not to lean on one of those little silver instrument trays they put out. All of a sudden I woke up in another room. I had completely passed out.”