February 18, 2020
Gray Stone Students Compete in Art Showcase
By Emma Nantz
Gray Stone Student
(From left to right) Caitlyn Henley, Michael Phillips, Knox Barringer, McKenzie Lenning, Chloe Lenning, Riley Smith, and Caitin Hattaway (Tori Lenning not pictured).
Art Students from Gray Stone Day School recently competed at the North Carolina Scholastic Art Showcase.
After placing first at the central regional competition in January, Gray Stone went on to place fourth in the state competition.
The North Carolina Scholastic Art Showcase is hosted by the North Carolina Association for Scholastic Activities.
The state competition was held on February 8th at Cox Mill High School in Concord, North Carolina.
There are eight categories, and Gray Stone submitted in seven of these.
Each year, there is a new prompt for the regional competition, released in early November, and this year, the prompt was a poem written specifically for the art showcase.
After creating a piece to interpret this prompt, students submitted a picture of their work to the judges, and regionals were held in January to determine the winners.
Then, the top schools were brought to compete at the state competition.
In early January, after the pieces were judged, Chloe Lenning, Caitlin Hattaway, and Riley Smith all became regional winners in the photography, painting, and mixed media categories.
Caitlin Hattaway, a senior at Gray Stone, said, "I enjoyed the bonding experience for the art club, and it was a chance for all of us to really come together as a team!"
After the team went on to the state competition, Tori Lenning and Knox Barringer, submitting in the collage and drawing categories, both received honorable mentions, and Chloe Lenning became a state winner in photography.
Knox Barringer, a sophomore shared, "This was my first art competition, and it was an overall cool experience!
I also enjoyed being able to see others' works and how they interpreted the prompt differently!"
Chloe Lenning also reflected on this experience, stating, "I really want to thank those who have helped me along the way with this piece, especially my sisters.
I could not have done this without their support, and I look forward to continuing art in the future!"
After the pieces were judged at the state competition, Cox Mill High School was open to the public, where the winners were revealed. Afterwards, an awards ceremony was held for both the regional and state winners.
McKenzie Lehning, a senior who also competed in the showcase, said, "We were able to be more successful this year, and I am so proud of all of our accomplishments.
I plan to study art in college, so this was an opportunity for me to hone in on my skills!"
The Gray Stone community is proud of its students, as is Mr. Phillips, the art instructor at Gray Stone.
He said, "I am so proud of these students. They came together and supported each other as a team.
I cannot say enough that watching these students come together has been one of the proudest moments I have had at Gray Stone."