Pascaline Tetteh won a silver medal for this digital painting titled “A Bright Idea.”
Three Hopkinton High School students recently were recognized by the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards program as national medalists.
In writing, Daniel Applebaum and Kaesha Rajgor both won a gold medal (top national honor) for “Jewish Requiem at Terezin: A Burning Haibun” and “The Gambler Mentality: Would You Risk It?” respectively.
In art, Pascaline Tetteh won a silver medal for her piece titled “A Bright Idea.”
HHS English teacher Benjamin Lally explained that the Scholastic program is an opt-in for students to discover individually. HHS English Department head Sarah Ellam and HHS Art Department head Colleen Gianino help organize the submissions and provide payment to Scholastic, using donation funds from the Hopkinton Parent Teacher Organization.
Lally, who is advisor to the HHS Art & Literature magazine, is familiar with Tetteh’s work and described it as “striking and sophisticated.”
“ ‘A Bright Idea’ does a fantastic job of being a success in both its execution and its vision,” he said. “It is a skillful piece and is one that grabs the viewer’s attention.”
Tetteh said her digital painting took about six hours to create and was done in one sitting as part of a sketchbook project prompt given in art class.
“My vision was to portray me finally finding comfort in an idea,” she said. “I struggle with figuring out what to draw for most of my projects or simply how to start them. So when I do get an idea, I’m immediately comforted, because it’s the biggest hurdle.”
Tetteh said her painting has a subtle additional meaning — comfort in religion. “The background of my piece is slightly influenced by Renaissance paintings, the ones that often have angels drawn or religious depictions,” she said.
Although her career aspirations are to become a doctor, Tetteh said she hopes to minor in art, or if she changes her mind about medicine, pursue medical illustration.
Winning a silver award “really made my day,” she said, adding that she was proud of “A Bright Idea,” and grateful it was appreciated enough to be recognized.
Lally praised Rajgor’s essay for its “clear voice” while presenting an “impressive depth in her research.”
He said, “She makes her points cleanly and clearly and writes with purpose and momentum.”
Rajgor said she wrote “The Gambler Mentality: Would You Risk It?” as part of an assignment in her Grade 9 English class. She said she wanted to explore the intersection of psychology and human behavior.
At first, at a friend’s suggestion, Rajgor considered writing about stock market betting because of her interest in business “and the recent surge in high-risk trades based on speculation rather than research.”
She expanded on that idea by focusing on all forms of betting like sports, the lottery and the stock market.
Rajgor said she used sources including podcasts, TED Talks, books and websites and conducted firsthand interviews.
Her 2,000-word submission was in the critical essay category.
“The [essay] explores the diverse motivations behind gambling addiction, including biological, neurological and personality-driven factors,” she explained. “It examines how individuals with impulsive traits are more susceptible to addiction, leading them to bet increasingly higher amounts to achieve the same feelings of reward.”
Rajgor added that the essay also talks about “how addiction impacts one’s health, life and relationships but emphasizes that recovery is possible with treatment and motivation.” She said it highlights how various forms of gambling can be overlooked as sources of addiction yet still have extremely dangerous effects.
Although she did not expect to win a national gold medal, Rajgor said the achievement has inspired her to continue pursuing excellence in her writing and to believe in the potential of her work.
A rising junior at HHS, Rajgor said she regards writing and art to be fun, relaxing hobbies and as a “creative outlet” to share “unique perspectives with the world.” Although she is not thinking of writing as a career, she believes strong writing skills are essential for everyone, no matter what field or interests they pursue.
Lally noted the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards program celebrated its centennial anniversary last year and is open to students in Grades 7-12. The contest has 28 categories. At the state level, approximately 30% of submissions earn either a gold key, silver key or honorable mention.
The gold key winners are entered into the national competition that awards a gold or silver medal to the top entries in the United States. Additionally, seniors can submit portfolios, and those can earn an honorable mention at the national level, Lally explained.
An annual ceremony recognizes the gold and silver key recipients in Massachusetts, and students receive a certificate. Writing recipients at the state and national levels have their achievements displayed in the English hallway — certificates and plaques, respectively.
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