The Calvert Art Department competed in the Statewide competition hosted by the Governor’s office. This competition is a juried show that allows the students to have their work judged at the regional level before advancing to the state level of judging. The Calvert Art department had nine pieces of artwork advanced to the state level of judging.
The eight state judges juried in 278 pieces of art from the 2,000 pieces at the state round. Calvert was honored with a record amount of six State winners. This included one of the pieces being selected as a Top 25 entry. The Top 25 pieces are awarded The Governor’s Award of Excellence.
Competing against every high school in the state can be intimidating, however, with the tradition of entering the competition each year, Calvert Art Department has developed a winning tradition.
The success includes one sophomore Addison King with an aluminum sculpture of a St. Bernard. Carlie Instone is also a sophomore and is the Top 25 winner with a cardboard sculpture of a Victorian chase lounge. The junior class is populated with extreme talent and makes up the majority of the winners. Makayla Coppus won with her aluminum sculpture of a kangaroo and its small joey attached in the pouch. Ella Dysard added to the sculpture collection with her rendition of an aluminum orangutan. Both Harrison Shultz and Corinne Griffin won with their white charcoal life-size self-portraits. Corrine’s win puts her in an exclusive group of artists that have had more than one win at the State competition. This is the second year in a row that Corrine has earned work in the State Show.
With the collection of winners so large this year it suggests that winning the State is an easy feat. However, getting one winner is an amazing accomplishment for any Art Department and is certainly a goal of Mrs. Marla Shultz each school year. With only 44 entries getting out of the Regional round she did not expect having six of the winning entries from the region to be from Calvert. “We enjoy competing every year and hold the highest esteem for the Governor Show so having this much success is a true reflection of the commitment our students have to their academics and growth,” Shultz stated. The Art Department is honored to have so many students get honored at the State level.