During the month of Feb 2021, Isabelle Colantuonio ‘22 was awarded with the gold and silver keys of the Scholastic Art Award for the state of New Hampshire. Her hard work and dedication to art has been seen by many and she continues to strive for excellence in her future career in art. 

Colantuonio submitted a number of pieces into the competition. All of them were inspired by a place in Mason, NH called Pickity Place. “My family traveled to Pickity Place, which is the home of the author of the Little Red Riding Hood. My sister was with me and I took photos of her and the different bushes and trees. The garden is very magical. After, I added different effects to make the pictures much more artistic,” said Colantuonio. Isabelle was very surprised to hear that she had gotten an award this year. Usually the awards come out during the week but this time it was on a weekend. “I was home and I was working on homework and I looked at the document and I was just surprised that that piece had won gold. I was very surprised and also very happy because I put a lot of work into these photographs,” said Isabelle. She intends to attend art school and pursue art and photography as a career in the future.  

Art teacher Audra Saunders has had Isabelle as a student ever since she has been at HBHS. “Isabelle is talented, polite, intuitive, dedicated, and focused in her pursuits. She consistently seeks out constructive feedback so she can improve her skills, which is a rare and impressive quality in a high school student. I have seen her creating both on paper and using technology,” said Saunders. Isabelle loves creating all different types of art such as photography, digital, and painting. “As a teacher the best gift is when a student has success,” said Saunders. 

Isabelle’s good friend Meredith Scott ’22 has known Isabelle for a very long time. She also enjoys art and other hobbies such as skateboarding and drawing comics. “For as long as I’ve known Isabelle, I’ve always seen her as an extremely hardworking and organized person in almost every aspect of her life. Her goal-oriented mind never ceases to impress me with how much she logically thinks ahead into the future. She’s always reaching for the stars in her work, and I’ve always seen that admirable part of her as an inspiration,” said Scott. 

The Scholastic Art award recognizes people from all over the United States with the gift to create beautiful artwork and writing. It gives some students scholarships to colleges and summer programs. Isabelle won the gold and silver keys for her art. “The Scholastic Art Awards seeks to recognize and shine a light on young, rising artists, and I think it accomplishes just that and more. Not only does an award allow the chance for scholarships, but it allows for artists to take in that their work is valued by others. The fact that Isabelle had won multiple awards in a single year shows the impact that her work holds and the future of her career ahead of her,” said Saunders. 

Isabelle’s great work and dedication has helped her become an amazing artist. She will continue to pursue art in her future years and her future career.