# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
To many people the meaning of a mural, according to Oxford Language, is a “painting or other work of art executed directly on a wall”, but to the Schuyler community it meant more. Friday, October 21st, students, people from the communities, and the professional artists gathered to meet and draw ideas for a mural. That…

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Scholastic Art Awards competition is the biggest art competition we do, it starts at the state level and then goes to the national level. Our students have been working extremely hard this year and it has paid off. This year we had 13 different students win awards.

Carlos Carrasco received an Honorable Mention for a drawing

Jesus Chaves received an Silver Key in drawing

Victor Chavez received an Honorable Mention for a sculpture

Vivian Fuentes received an Honorable Mention for a fabric dye painting

Brenda Gallegos received a Gold Key for a fabric dye painting

Yessica Garcia received an Honorable Mention for a drawing

Bela Jedlicka received both a Silver Key and a Gold Key in Drawing

Piper Lefdal dominated with a Gold Key Portfolio ( 6 artworks viewed together ) and two individual Gold Keys as well as three Honorable Mentions

Bon Mejia received two Honorable Mentions for drawing

Maximus Moran received a Silver Key in Drawing

Ghislane Rodriguez received a Silver Key for her fabric dye painting

Hasley Salgado received both an Honorable Mention and a Gold Key for drawing

Aivlis Serrato earned two Silver Keys in drawing

I can't overstate the amount of work that the kids put into their artworks and this show. I have never had this many individuals win awards. The award winning artworks will be on display in Omaha for the month of March, and the students that earned Gold Keys will now be judged against Gold winners across the nation for a chance to get their work displayed in Washington DC for a year.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Record number of SCHS students honored at the Scholastic Art Awards

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Scholastic Art Awards competition is the biggest art competition we do, it starts at the state leve...

# data[].attributes.body
Art show in Grand Island at the UNDRground

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Show #11. Michael Trotter and Cole Beebe “Preach and Practice”

# data[].attributes.headline
Saint Edward School-  Visiting Artist and Guest Teacher

# data[].attributes.subject
Saint Edward School-  Visiting Artist and Guest Teacher

# data[].attributes.headline
Student 2019 American Visions Nomination 

# data[].attributes.subject
Student 2019 American Visions Nomination 

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
NORTH - ESU Award Notification 2019 - Mike Trotter - Google Docs

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
The 66 students chosen for the Nebraska Young Artist Awards will have the opportunity to visit with students and faculty on the day of activities on April 4. Photo by Michael Reinmiller.

Lincoln, Neb.--The University of Nebraska-Lincoln's Hixson-Lied College of Fine and Performing Arts has announced winners of the 21st annual Nebraska Young Artist Awards.

The awards recognize 11th-grade students from Nebraska for talents in visual art, dance, music, theatre, and film and new media. These students exemplify the pinnacles of creativity in one of the fine and performing arts.

Sixty-six students from more than 35 high schools across the state have been selected to participate in the special day of activities April 4 at the university.

Students applied for the recognition and submitted an example of their work. Applications were received from 181 students. Hixson-Lied College of Fine and Performing Arts faculty chose the winners.

Honored students will take tours of the arts facilities, attend classes, meet faculty and college students and have lunch. Their parents will be invited and will also take tours, as well as receive information on careers in the arts and college curriculum.

Students selected to participate in the Nebraska Young Artist Awards will also be asked to nominate the teacher who provided them with the greatest amount of mentoring and support in the development of their special talents.

The day will conclude with an awards ceremony. Students will receive a certificate and an original piece of artwork commissioned for the event and created by School of Art, Art History and Design printmaking student Keith Buswell.

Following is a list by hometown of award winners, with their high school and specialty area(s).

Arnold: Tatum Cool, Arnold, dance.

Benkelman: Olivia Sis, Dundy County-Stratton, theatre arts.

Brock: Piper Monson, Lourdes Central Catholic, theatre arts and dance.

Cozad: Carrie Osborn, Cozad, dance; Abby Thramer, Cozad, dance.

Firth: Aleisha Gottwald, Norris, music.

Gering: Matthew Eckerberg, Gering, music; Alexia Tallmon, Gering, visual art.

Grand Island: Midori Czaplewski, Grand Island, visual art; Enrique Martinez, Grand Island, visual art; Yazmin Vera, Grand Island, visual art.

Holdrege: Boston Petit, Holdrege, visual art.

Kearney: Drew Sinnard, Kearney, theatre arts.

Kimball: Nathaniel Mars, home school, music.

Lincoln: Sarah Al-Hilfy Leon, Lincoln Southeast, visual art; Rhoderick Beery IV, Lincoln Southwest, dance; Katie Brinkman, Lincoln High, music; Dana Clements, Lincoln Southeast, theatre arts and visual arts; Karissa Goosic, Lincoln Southwest, music; Abby Hull, Lincoln North Star, dance; Frankie Kohn, Lincoln Northeast, dance; Olivia Kriz, Lincoln North Star, dance; Harry Miller, Lincoln High, visual art; Phuc Nguyen, Lincoln High, music; Reed Petelle, Lincoln High, theatre arts; Isaac Rippeteau, Lincoln Southeast, music; Teresa Trinh, Lincoln Pius X, music; Avry Victor, Lincoln Pius X, visual art; Patia Wolfe, Lincoln North Star, dance; Enya Zhu, Lincoln East, music.

Manley: McKenna Jones, Louisville, dance.

McCook: Skyla Henning, McCook, visual art; Kassidy Michaelis, McCook, music.

Norfolk: Alicia Medel, Norfolk, dance; Natalia Uszynski, Battle Creek, music.

North Platte: Jacob Cahill, North Platte, music; Steffani Nolda, North Platte, music.

Omaha: Gracie Fagan, Millard North, music; Nathan Fletcher, Skutt Catholic, visual art; Benjamin Lane, Omaha Central, film and new media, music and visual art; Laura Liu, Brownell-Talbot, music; Ilana McNamara, Omaha Central, music; Meera Nair, Brownell-Talbot, dance; Hanna Pohlmann, Bennington, dance; Makayla Reavis, Millard West, visual art; Eliza Rice, Brownell-Talbot, visual art; Gabriella Rock, Omaha Central, music; Emma Safranek, home school, music; Nico Santocildes, Creighton Prep, visual art; Justin Sivilla, Concordia, film and new media; Billy Svolos, Omaha Central, music; Sofia Vander Zwaag, Millard North, music; Anastasia Wilson, Omaha Central, music; Julianna Wren, Mercy, visual art; Jamie Youn, Millard North, music.

Papillion: Madison Culp, Papillion-La Vista South, dance; Mikayla Duke, Papillion-La Vista South, dance; Annalee Larsen, Papillion-La Vista South, dance.

Schuyler: Pammela Garcia, Schuyler Central, visual art; Astrid Mejia, Schuyler Central, visual art.

Seward: Brenna Houdersheldt, Shelby-Rising City, visual art; Jonathan Svoboda, Seward, film and new media.

Staplehurst: Sarah Bujarski, Seward, music.

Sutton: Megan Fehr, Sutton, music.

Syracuse: Colton Nichols, Syracuse-Dunbar-Avoca, music.

Wallace: Micah Swedberg, Wallace, music.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.authors[].name
University of Nebraska-Lincoln | Web Developer Network

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
66 students chosen for Nebraska Young Artist Awards

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Lincoln, Neb.--The University of Nebraska-Lincoln's Hixson-Lied College of Fine and Performing Arts has announced winners of the 21st annual Nebraska Young Artist Awards. The awards recognize 11th-grade students from Nebraska for talents in visual art, dance, music, theatre, and film and new media.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
COLUMBUS - Dozens of pieces from young artists are on display at Columbus Art Gallery, and for many of the area exhibitors it's the first time their work has been publicly shown.

"I feel like I'm finally getting my work out there," said Schuyler Central High School sophomore Cassandra Macholan, whose abstract sculpture is part of the Youth Art Month exhibit.

Some of Macholan's fellow students were a little self-conscious about having their art out in the open.

"It's weird," said SCHS student Guadalupe Rodriguez.

SCHS student Lucy Rojo said she was noticing all the little things she wanted to change in her work.

"It feels like you could have done better," she said.

Columbus Middle School student Mavzuna Rozikov was also feeling the pressure after looking at her competition.

"It's really exciting, but you don't know if people are going to like (your piece) with everyone's work being so good," said Rozikov. "But you hope for the best."

Rozikov's mother, Chrissy, said her daughter has always liked to doodle and is very creative.

"Her mind is always running," said Chrissy. "It's nice to see her put it to paper."

Columbus Middle School art teacher Megan Graybill also attended last week's reception.

"It's nice to see the kids' work, especially these advanced projects where they work so hard and they have to show for family and the community," said Graybill. "It makes me so proud for them."

Each area middle and high school can submit up to 10 pieces for the exhibit to the Columbus Arts Council. This year's exhibit includes 74 pieces from Columbus Middle School, Columbus High School, Lakeview Junior/Senior High School, David City Aquinas High School, Shelby-Rising City High School, Schuyler Central High School and one homeschooled student.

Columbus Arts Council member Susan McClure said she looks forward to the annual youth exhibit.

"It always continues to amaze me the talent that comes through here," McClure said. "There's always some I could choose to hang in my home."

Shelby-Rising City senior MaryEll Kohl said she didn't plan on exhibiting a self-portrait with her horse until she saw the finished product.

"When I started this piece, I didn't think it would turn out this well," she said.

Kohl's father, Ken, said he can appreciate all the pieces after seeing the effort his daughter put into hers.

"They put a lot of hard work into it," he said. "There's a lot of great artists and a lot of effort on display."

Kohl's mother, BranDee, found it inspiring to see all the artwork on display.

"I think this is wonderful," said BranDee. "To experience all the young talent in the community and see all the different ideas and media. It inspires all the kids."

BranDee's mother, Lois Beel, was also there to support her granddaughter.

"Art is fun and art is also uplifting," said Beel. "Art puts joy in your heart."

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
COLUMBUS - Dozens of pieces from young artists are on display at Columbus Art Gallery, and for many of the area exhibitors it's the first time their work has been publicly shown. "I feel like I'm finally getting my work out there," said Schuyler Central High School sophomore Cassandra Macholan, whose abstract sculpture is part of the Youth Art Month exhibit.

# data[].attributes.headline
2017 Art Educator Show at Hot Shops, Omaha

# data[].attributes.subject
2017 Art Educator Show at Hot Shops, Omaha

# data[].attributes.body
Congratulations to Schuyler High School & Seward High School for being selected as the 2017 Nebraska for the Arts award winners!

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Astrid Mejia sat in on a recent history class that was surveying the Bubonic Plague. In the textbook was a picture of a doctor's mask that was used especially for the epidemic.

The peculiar shape of the beak-like mask left the Schuyler Central High School junior awestruck.

"I really got into how it looked," she said. "So I wanted to draw something that used the shape and mask."

Last summer she got to work on a colored pencil drawing that incorporated three of these doctors into a masterful piece of art. This hard work paid off when Mejia was one of six SCHS students to win awards through this year's Nebraska Scholastic Art competition.

Awards are given for Honorable Mention, Silver Key, and Gold Key. Gold Keys are then judged at the national level against other golds. On March 9, the pieces will be judged in order to win national titles. Also in March, gold key pieces will be taken to the TAC building in Omaha to be displayed.

Mejia has taken art classes all through her high school career. That is not the case for Roselyn Gonzalez.

"I'm a senior this year and have never taken an art class," Gonzalez said. "I didn't think I was good at it. But I wanted to try it out this year. I got in, and Trotter helped me out and made me realize how good I can be."

This inspiration was fueled when Gonzalez got a package in the mail. In that package was a small piece of orange shag felt.

"I wasn't sure what to do with it at first," she said. "Then I figured it kind of looked like a rug. So I cut it out into a shape, and made a bear head out of clay with four paws. Then I glued them to the rug."

This vibrant bear rug won Gonzalez two honorable mentions for sculpture.

"It feels nice since it's my first year in art," she said.

Another student who placed in the competition was Guadalupe Rodriguez. Aside from winning two gold keys, an honorable mention and a silver key, she managed to become the first SCHS student to take home a gold key for a portfolio submission.

SCHS art instructor Michael Trotter says his students should view these competitions as encouragement.

"Healthy competition pushes kids to do better and better," Trotter said. "I think this Scholastic is important not only to show kids how great they are, but to show everyone what these guys can do."

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Astrid Mejia sat in on a recent history class that was surveying the Bubonic Plague. In the textbook was a picture of a doctor's mask that was used especially for the epidemic. The peculiar shape of the beak-like mask left the Schuyler Central High School junior awestruck.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
As a working artist, Michael Trotter knows the importance of entering work into competitions, especially for his budding art students at Schuyler Central High School.

"I think it's valuable for high school students to get that success and get that exposure," said Trotter. "I tell them that everything we do should be done with the intent of showing, so that way each artwork is as serious as the next one."

That mentality paid off recently as 11 of the 23 pieces submitted by SCHS students received honors through the Scholastic Art Awards of Nebraska. Two students received a Gold Key award, which means their work will go on to the national competition.

Senior Angela Medina, who has displayed her work during a student exhibit at Columbus Art Gallery, won a Gold Key and Silver Key for her self-portraits - a charcoal drawing and painting.

She said Trotter encouraged her to submit them for the state competition.

"I was thinking I spent all that time, why not enter them in a contest?" she said.

Trotter briefly interrupted a physics lesson to give her the good news.

"He came in and showed me the list, tapped me on the head and said, 'You got the Gold Key,'" she said.

Medina is already enrolled to study architecture at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln in the fall. But the award is still a nice affirmation that art is something she could succeed at.

"I was having a bad day, so it really boosted my confidence," she said. "To be judged by good judges and told that it's good, that it's superior, that really shot up my confidence."

Luis Cancino, also a senior, said he's always enjoyed making two-dimensional art, but this was his first semester making sculptures. That didn't stop him from winning a Silver Key and honorable mention for his two pieces.

He said part of his success is Trotter's influence. Cancino is signed up for three classes with Trotter this semester.

"He thinks outside the box," said Cancino. "He has his artwork in the classroom, so it inspires me to make mine."

Cancino is enrolled at Wayne State College, where he plans to study graphic design.

"I think it's the best for me," he said. "I've always liked creative stuff and visual stuff."

The second Gold Key winner from SCHS is sophomore Astrid Mejia, who, like Medina, plans to study architecture.

Her Gold Key submission is a self-portrait of herself as Queen Elizabeth I.

"I like how her clothes looked and I wanted to put my face on it," said Mejia, who also received an honorable mention recognition.

Mejia was drawing something for speech in Jill Hoesing's office when Trotter gave her the news.

"I was shocked," she said. "I knew something could happen, but didn't know it would happen."

"I feel like I have the potential for anything now," Mejia added.

Guadalupe Rodriguez received two honorable mentions, and Chloe Bertrand and Pammela Garcia each received an honorable mention.

Trotter said the students' confidence boost was "awesome" and he hopes it will inspire more kids to take art seriously.

"I hope the showing is pushing art past a hobby if they've never considered using art as a profession," he said.

He's been busy lately submitting student work to competitions in Lincoln, Columbus and David City, as well as a congressional district event where students compete to have their artwork displayed at the U.S. Capitol.

The awards ceremony for the Scholastic Art Awards of Nebraska competition will be Feb. 25 in Omaha. Trotter said he plans to rent a van and take all six of the SCHS recipients.

"I think it's important for kids to go there to see what other people are producing," he said.

Trotter only had one semester of work to choose from for this year's competition. That won't be the case next time.

"We're already gearing up for next year," he said. "They're celebrating it, but also using it as a motivational tool."

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
As a working artist, Michael Trotter knows the importance of entering work into competitions, especially for his budding art students at Schuyler Central High School. "I think it's valuable for high school students to get that success and get that exposure," said Trotter.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Schuyler Central High School students used their artistic flair to design a mural for the new Schuyler Public Library building.

The project took a full week to complete with around 60 students involved.

The mural, which is in the future young adult room, depicts the history of Schuyler.

Senior Guadalupe Rodriguez led the design team.

"It was a lot of fun to unify all of it," Rodriguez said. "It was a lot of fun to hear all of the different ideas come together."

In addition to SCHS art teacher Michael Trotter, the students had another pair of experienced eyes to help them along in the process. Kim Darling from the Nebraska Arts Council offered advice through a grant awarded to Schuyler Public Library and Schuyler Community Schools.

"This mural tells the story of Schuyler," Darling said. "It shows us the iconography of indigenous Pawnee persons as well as pieces from Czech culture. The research we all did to convey the desired effect was extensive, but this has turned out to be a very meaningful piece to us all. The style holds contemporary, historical and regional iconography to show all who look at this piece just a microcosm of what is happening in Schuyler now."

Mastodons can be seen roaming the land among Czechoslovakian elements from Schuyler's past. Animals intermingle with robots and there's a healthy splash of vibrant colors.

One side of the mural features a silhouette telling the story while another silhouette listens on the opposite side.

Sophomore Jaci Grado said the experience has been "really surreal."

"I've never done anything this big," Grado said. "I've never been able to show off my work like this in such a public setting. But I'm glad all of Schuyler will be able to see what we have done."

Trotter said the project was a unique undertaking.

"This was a full collaboration from the entire art department," he said. "We had everyone come in, even kids who weren't in art. They wanted to have their voices heard in such a big way. This is truly a Schuyler experience."

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Schuyler Central High School students used their artistic flair to design a mural for the new Schuyler Public Library building. The project took a full week to complete with around 60 students involved. The mural, which is in the future young adult room, depicts the history of Schuyler.