Valeria Dumitrascu

Katy ISD

Eight Katy ISD Students Earn National Honors in Prestigious Arts Competition

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KATY, TX (Covering Katy News) – Following in the footsteps of some of the nation’s most accomplished artists and authors, eight Katy ISD students earned national medals in the 2024 Scholastic Art & Writing Awards. Among the winners, five students earned gold medals and three students earned silver medals.

The Scholastic Art & Writing Awards is one of the longest-running arts competitions in the country for teens, and has alumni who have gone on to be luminaries in art, fashion design, filmmaking, and writing, including authors John Updike and Stephen King, artist Andy Warhol, and fashion designer Tracy Reese.

“Katy ISD is represented yearly among the national medalists and these students continue to be exemplars of our District’s Fine Arts programs,” said Damon Archer, Executive Director of Fine Arts. “I would also like to recognize their teachers for their work in helping to support these young artists.”

The students advanced from this year’s regional competition, facilitated by the Harris County Department of Education, and were among the sixty-one Katy ISD students to be considered for national honors.

The winners are:

  • Aerial Chen: Seven Lakes High School, Gold Medal in Film & Animation
  • Haofei Deng: Tompkins High School, Gold Medal in Photography
  • Valeria Dumitrascu: Jordan High School, Gold Medal in Painting
  • Michelle Lee: Cinco Ranch High, School, Gold Medal in Drawing & Illustration
  • Ziyun Yu: Seven Lakes High, School, Gold Medal in Photography
  • Zoe Guthrie: Jordan High School, Silver Medal in Sculpture
  • Sahara Karmaker: Seven Lakes High School, Silver Medal in Film & Animation
  • Yule YiJordan High School: Silver Medal in Drawing & Illustration