Eight BWL Upper School Students Honored by the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards
Eight BWL Upper School students have been recognized by the prestigious Scholastic Art & Writing Awards, a national competition that honors creative excellence in visual art and writing. Their work, which spans drawing, sculpture, photography, poetry, and speculative fiction, reflects their incredible skills, personal reflections, risk-taking, and commitment to creative growth.
Several of this year’s honorees received Gold and Silver Keys, the highest regional awards, with Gold Key works advancing to national adjudication and being exhibited at the Metropolitan Museum of Art this spring. Together, these students exemplify the curiosity, confidence, and creative voice that define the BWL Upper School experience.
Congratulations to these eight students on their outstanding achievements and the creativity, dedication, and courage reflected in their work. Being recognized by the Scholastic Arts & Writing Awards is a significant honor, and we are proud to see BWL students’ voices and visions celebrated on both regional and national stages.
We also extend our congratulations to every student who submitted work to the competition. Sharing creative work requires vulnerability, perseverance, and confidence. We are also grateful to our incredible faculty and staff for their mentorship of our students, and for continuing to inspire the next generation of artists, writers, creators, and leaders.
Tori A., 11th Grade
Gold Key in Drawing
Honorable Mention in Drawing
Honorable Mention in Mixed Media
Junior Tori A. earned a Gold Key for her drawing “Day To Day Basis” (2025, 9x12), along with two additional Honorable Mentions for her works, “Lights Out” (drawing) and “Josue-7-Honduras” (mixed media).
“Day To Day Basis” is a deeply personal work that captures the messy, honest reality of teenage life. Through a carefully composed yet intentionally unpolished desk scene, Tori weaves together the objects, hobbies, collections, and commitments that shape her everyday world. Her goal, she explains, was to create a piece that felt “messy, real, and confident,” allowing someone who doesn’t know her to learn about her simply by looking closely.
Tori credits her teachers for helping her refine both her technical approach and artistic perspective. In AP Art History with Mr. Canter, she learned to see her work in dialogue with centuries of art, while Ms. Reich’s class gave her the freedom to experiment, express herself, and create with passion. Beginning with a reference photo and rough compositional sketch, Tori brought the piece to life through colored pencil, embracing process as much as product. She describes the work as especially meaningful, and one she is deeply proud of, for both the final result and for the journey of creating it.
Images Below:
Left: "Day To Day Basis" by Tori A., winner of the Scholastic Gold Key Award.
Right: Original reference photo for the drawing.
Alexander T., 9th Grade
Gold Key in Photography
Silver Key in Photography
Freshman Alexander T. earned both a Gold Key and a Silver Key in Photography for two distinct works that demonstrate a strong conceptual approach and attention to everyday detail. His photograph, “Liquid State,” received a Gold Key, while “So We Move in Between” was awarded a Silver Key, an impressive achievement for a 9th grader.
"Liquid State" is a thoughtfully composed photograph featuring an empty bottle of Goya ginger beer, barley tea, an 8.5 x 11 sheet of paper with text, and a cut piece of paper with text. The image was taken on an iPhone 13 Mini, underscoring Alexander’s ability to use accessible tools to create work that is both intentional and visually compelling. Through careful arrangement and subtle contrasts, the piece invites viewers to slow down and consider transformation, consumption, and the quiet narratives embedded in ordinary objects. Its title is taken from the title of a song by Muse about a struggle with alcohol addiction.
"So We Move in Between" takes its title from a lyric in Talking Heads’ “Born Under Punches (The Heat Goes On).” The photograph features wine glasses and cranberry juice set against a layered background of green, blue, and woodgrain surfaces. Through shifts in perspective and implied motion, the piece explores liminality, capturing a moment that feels suspended between stillness and movement, balance and disruption.
Alexander credits his Art teacher, Ms. Monika Merva, and BWL for giving him the freedom to choose and to be brave about thinking outside the box.
Images Below:
Left: Alexander T.’s Gold Key Award-winning photo, “Liquid State.”
Right: Alexander T’s. Silver Key Award-winning photo, “So We Move in Between.”
Declan H., 10th Grade
Silver Key in Photography
Honorable Mention in Photography
Declan H., a sophomore, earned both a Silver Key and an Honorable Mention in Photography for two evocative works that highlight his keen eye for focus, detail, and light. His photograph Collision received a Silver Key and presents a close-up of a metallic circular object layered with water, set against a black-and-white striped background, with light subtly dancing in the distance. His Honorable Mention piece, Today’s Last Footprint, captures a quiet beach scene, bringing individual grains of sand into sharp focus in the foreground while a brilliant sunset glows beyond, inviting viewers to notice scale, texture, and fleeting moments.
Drawn to photographing everyday scenes as he moves through the world with his iPhone, Declan finds beauty in places that might otherwise go unnoticed. Though he has not yet taken a formal photography class, he is eager to do so and continues to develop his practice independently. Inspired by photographers such as William Eggleston, he uses color and composition to transform familiar environments into something more meaningful. For Declan, photography is a way to slow down, observe carefully, and reveal how even the smallest, most ordinary moments can feel extraordinary.
Images Below:
Left: "Collision" by Declan H., winner of the Scholastic Silver Key Award.
Right: "Today's Last Footprint" by Declan H., winner of a Scholastic Honorable Mention Award.
Alex T., 9th Grade
Silver Key in Personal Narrative
Alex T., a BWL 9th grader, earned a Silver Key Award for her personal narrative, "Monster In Me". The piece is rooted in a personal hardship she continues to navigate, transforming a deeply vulnerable experience into powerful storytelling.
The narrative began as a late-night brain dump, with an honest outpouring of emotion during a difficult moment. As she reflected on what she had written, Alex realized the raw material could become something meaningful and refined. From there, she dedicated many nights and days to shaping, revising, and strengthening the piece until it reflected her best effort.
She credits her teachers for their support throughout the process, noting that their careful reading and thoughtful feedback helped her refine her ideas and make purposeful edits. Alex’s recognition highlights both her talent for writing and the courage it takes to turn personal adversity into a resonant narrative that can inspire.
Andre N.-S., 10th Grade
Silver Key in Sculpture
Andre N.-S. earned a Silver Key Award for his sculpture, “Portal,” a welded metal work that highlights both technical mastery and intuitive design.
Andre describes welding as a uniquely immersive artistic process, one where plain, flat metal is transformed into something dimensional and expressive through angles, edges, and texture. He often spends hours experimenting with form, allowing shapes to evolve organically as he works. “When I begin to set the pieces into each other,” he explains, “somehow they find where they are supposed to be.”
“Portal” reflects Andre’s mastery of structure and balance, and his unique ability to capture the moment when separate components come together to create something cohesive and unexpected. His recognition speaks to the power of hands-on, process-driven learning and the creativity that emerges when students are trusted to explore materials deeply.
Image on left:
Andre N.-S.’s sculpture, “Portal,” for which he won a Silver Key Award.
Sohaila N., 11th Grade
Honorable Mention in Speculative Fiction
Sohaila N. received an Honorable Mention for her gothic short story, “Welcome to the Dark Side,” submitted in the speculative fiction category.
For Sohaila, this recognition is especially meaningful. She wrote the piece last year in Ms. Levinsohn’s English class. That class marked the first time she realized she could see herself as a writer, an insight sparked by encouragement, feedback, and a classroom environment that valued her ideas and voice. That affirmation stayed with her as she revised and submitted the story to the Scholastic competition.
Sohaila’s achievement is particularly notable given that she has been writing in English for only three years and was competing in the highly competitive New York City region. Her success is a testament to her perseverance, imagination, and the transformative power of supportive teaching.
Vivienne A., 11th Grade
Honorable Mention in Poetry
Vivienne A. received an Honorable Mention in Poetry for her poem “The Consistency of Change,” a reflective piece that explores the inevitability of change and the emotional complexity of growing up.
Inspired by her transition into high school and adolescence, Vivienne’s poem emerged from her realization that change is a constant force, one that must be acknowledged, accepted, and ultimately embraced. Her writing process involved sitting with those emotions, documenting them, and carefully selecting language that could capture feelings that are often difficult to articulate.
Vivienne describes poetry as a space where she can slow down and be honest. Through it, she crystallizes experiences, explores complex ideas, and connects more deeply with herself and others. Support from her teachers, who provided models of poetry and a classroom environment that encouraged experimentation and vulnerability, played a key role in helping her develop confidence in her voice.
Maïa H., 9th Grade
Honorable Mention in Flash Fiction
Maïa H. received an Honorable Mention in Flash Fiction for her piece, "Remember," a compact yet emotionally resonant story shaped by her love of 1990s Doctor Who media. She cites Divided Loyalties by Gary Russell as a particularly strong influence, noting that those stories helped her understand how to portray loss as something truly momentous rather than fleeting.
Maïa’s writing process is intuitive and immersive. She begins by fixating on an idea—sometimes for weeks—before pouring the entire story onto the page in a single night, often discovering that the final piece bears little resemblance to her original concept. Afterward, she shares the draft with a friend, inviting them to edit it as if it were their own. She thoughtfully considers their revisions, refines the work, and then steps away, allowing time and distance to shape her perspective.
She credits her teachers as one of the most significant influences on her development as a writer. Through conversations, questions, and mentorship, Maïa explains, she has learned how to strengthen her craft, which has helped her to grow as a person, and that impact continues to inform her writing long after the story is finished.