Four McCulloch Junior High School students earned the highest regional honor for their artwork submitted to the Scholastic Art and Writing Awards and will continue on to national-level competition. Three other McCulloch students and seven Marion High School students were also recognized for their outstanding work.
- Tallulah Gibson, MJH 8th-grader / CSA Arts Academy, earned a Gold Key award for their sculpture “Cuddle Bug”. They also earned a Silver Key award for their drawing “Spark of Joy”.
- Naya Cruz, MJH 8th-grader, earned a Gold Key award for their drawing "Mi Tierra". They also earned an Honorable Mention for their art work “Tiger”.
- Leyna Greenwood, MJH 8th-grader, earned a Gold Key Award for their drawing “Let Us Marble”.
- Alaynah Jackson, MJH 8th-grader, earned a Gold Key award for their painting “After the After Life Runaway Bride”.
- Cambria Hamner, MHS senior, earned a Silver Key award for their jewelry "Pink and White". They also earned Honorable Mentions for their art work “Gray Tunnel”, their stained glass piece “Big Wave”, and their jewelry “Silver Pendent”.
- Sunday Hyde, MHS senior, earned a Silver Key award for their art work "Cafeteria".
- Hannah Monroe, MHS senior, earned a Silver Key award for their sculpture "Jerry the Octopus".
- Penelope Myers, MHS freshman, earned a Silver Key award for their drawing "The Coffee Shop".
- Aliya Cruz, MHS junior, earned Honorable Mention awards for two poems, “Next Time” and “Legacymaking”. (Click here to read her full poems.)
- Gwynneth Hamilton, MHS senior, earned an Honorable Mention award for their drawing "Because the Internet".
- Symone Purvis, MJH 7th-grader, earned an Honorable Mention award for their drawing “What We Carry”.
- Damien Taylor, MHS junior / CSA Arts Academy, earned two Honorable Mention awards for their art works, “Half-Death” and “Pinochet”.
- Selah Veenkant, MJH 8th-grader, earned an Honorable Mention award for their art work “The Tiger’s Watching”.
- Evan Williams, MJH 8th-grader, earned an Honorable Mention award for their drawing “False Reflection”.
>> Click here to view a photo album of all winning artwork by Marion students (select the album "Scholastic Art and Writing Awards 2026")
The Fort Wayne Museum of Art displays the Scholastic Art and Writing Awards honorees for the region, which encompasses 52 counties in northeast Indiana and northwest Ohio. This year’s exhibition will be on display from Feb. 14 through April 12 (excluding March 2-6, when the exhibit will be closed due to another museum event). Hours and admission costs can be viewed online at the Fort Wayne Museum of Art’s website.
All pieces that earned a Gold Key will be part of a competition in New York this spring. According to the FWMoA website, the high caliber of entries into the Fort Wayne competition has propelled the region to be one of the top regions for national awards given in the past few years.
Marion has been perennially well-represented in this competition, with students winning regional awards many times over the last decade, as well as national awards
Marion Community Schools congratulates these talented students and expresses gratitude to their outstanding teachers.