Congratulations to the 2022 winners of the Scholastic Art and Writing Awards. We are thrilled to celebrate the inspiring student work from BASIS Independent Brooklyn, which spanned more categories than in years past. Students have created visually stunning and meaningful imagery, and we wanted to share many of the pieces honored by Scholastic. We are proud to see them brilliantly uphold the BASIS Independent Brooklyn standard for setting the bar high for our school community and rising to meet those goals.
"Expression represents the highest order of thinking, and we are enthralled by the depth and quality of student work," commented Head of School Hadley Ruggles. "Thank you to our teachers for inspiring greatness and individuality among our students."
Across BASIS Independent Brooklyn, 19 students were recognized with awards in the 2022 Scholastic Art & Writing Competition. A full list of students honored follows:
- Sophie B. '26 (Gold Key Award for Poetry)
- Isabella B. '23 (2 Honorable Mention Awards in Photography)
- Katey B. '23 (Silver Key Award in Photography and Silver Key in Personal Essay)
- Jack C. '25 (Silver Key Award in Photography)
- Annabelle C. '26 (Honorable Mention Award in Photography)
- Smith D. '26 (Honorable Mention Award in Flash Fiction)
- Maeve F. '26 (Honorable Mention Award in Photography)
- Roman F. '23 (Honorable Mention Award in Photography)
- Samantha G. '24 (Gold Key and 2 Silver Key Awards in Photography)
- Laila G. '24 (Silver Key and Honorable Mention in Digital Art)
- Alex K. '26 (Honorable Mention in Photography)
- Sadie R. '26 (Silver Key in Photography)
- Sofia S. '24 (Gold Key in Photography)
- Luca S. '22 (2 Gold Keys, 3 Silver Keys, and 2 Honorable Mention Awards in Digital Art, Comic Art and Art Portfolio)
- Zeyna T. '24 (Silver Key in Journalism for work on The Grizzly and Honorable Mention for Critical Essay)
- Isaac W. '24 (Honorable Mention Award in Photography)
- Maren W. '23 (Silver Key in Poetry and Honorable Mention in Photography)
- Lyra Yum-M. '23 (Honorable Mention in Painting)
- Rafael Z. '26 (Honorable Mention Award in Personal Essay)
Art Awards
"Congratulations to this year’s winners," said Mr. Opirhory, Fine Arts Subject Expert Teacher (SET) at BASIS Independent Brooklyn. "Their dedication to the arts and unique vision represents the best of our community. With art ranging from photography to digital art, comics, and painting they continue to impress."
Mr. Opirhory was quick to state that each student has a unique vision that they built over time: "Winners such as Katelyn B. with her impressive use of color, Sofia Anise S. with her lyrical social commentary, Samantha G. with her urban slices of life, and Luca S. with his extensive drawings exemplify such visions," he commented. "I am constantly impressed with how our students evolve and thrive in our community."
Katelyn B.'s Silver Key Photograph "The Lethe":
Sofia S.'s Gold Key Photograph "Nothing for One's Self":
Samantha G.'s Gold Key Photograph "Halloween":
Luca S.'s Gold Key Digital Art "Ursa Awakening":
Luca S.'s Gold Key Digital Art "Spark of Creativity":
Writing Awards
Zeyna T. '24 is the first reporter for our nascent student news site The Grizzly to be honored by Scholastic for writing. You can read her Silver Medal award-winning piece "The Feminist Movement - A Fight for Liberation." The Grizzly was also recently honored with a Silver Medal from the Columbia Scholastic Press Association, so it is an exciting time for student journalism at the school.
Our English SET Ms. Roday was truly proud of her students honored as part of the 2022 Scholastic Art & Writing Awards, and she added some perspective drawn from her experience working with them.
"All of our BASIS Independent Brooklyn creative writers have illustrated an impressive commitment to the creative process–from reading and responding to contemporary literature, to giving and receiving feedback through the intimate workshop, and embracing the challenges and wonders of the revision process," shared Ms. Roday. "With great care for their own words and each other's, our Scholastic winners experimented with the multiplicity of their voices."
Ms. Roday paid tribute to many of the honorees: "Masterfully wielding the Abecedarian essay form, Rafael Z. explored the nuances of familial relationships, while navigating deep questions of death and decay. Through her poem, Sophie B. skillfully crafted a mature and complex speaker who addressed her past self with great honesty and retrospection. Smith D. composed a beautiful flash fiction piece, which guided his readers through a high stakes, near-death experience, calling us all to question what we may think and feel through moments of impact. Congratulations to all of our BASIS Independent Brooklyn writers! Your love of the craft and your artistic bravery inspires me every day."
Our students continue to inspire us. We are extremely proud of them, their intelligence, artistic vision, and - most of all - their potential.