Student Photographers Recognized in Regional High School Art Competition

Tiamari Paisley ’21, of East Orange, who earned a Gold Key for “Peanuts” & Honorable Mention for “Faces Behind the Glass”

Oak Knoll School photographers have been recognized in the 2021 Regional Scholastic High School Art and Writing Competition, presented by the nonprofit Alliance for Young Artists & Writers. This is the largest competition for high school students to showcase their visual and written creative projects.

Oak Knoll junior and seniors earned Gold Key, Silver Key and Honorable Mentions in the photography and art award categories during this 98th annual competitive selection that yielded more than 340,000 entries from across the nation.

The Oak Knoll winners in the photography category are:

  • Tiamari Paisley ’21, of East Orange, who earned a Gold Key for “Peanuts” & Honorable Mention for “Faces Behind the Glass”
  • Annemieke Exton ’21, of Chatham, who earned an Honorable Mention for “Chocolate Cake”
  • Grace McCaghey ’21, of Jersey City, who earned a Silver Key for “The Thanksgiving turkey that got away”
  • Sarah McManus ’22, of Chatham, who earned a Silver Key for “Carnival”
  • Olivia O’Malley ’22, of Summit, who received a Silver Key for “Sawyer”
  • Alex Accardo ’22, of Brookside, who earned an Honorable Mention for “J&H”

“I tell my students that whether or not they win recognition isn’t the goal, it’s selecting your best work, and believing in it enough to take the risk of sending it out for competition that matters,” said Oak Knoll Upper School photography teacher Jennifer Breitenstein. “With so much social isolation and confinement this entire year, I am especially proud of all the students who entered and their perseverance in photographing the world around them.”

 

oak knoll's arts recognition ceremony 2021