The state Visual Art Scholastic Event held on April 5 to 6 at Bryan High School in Bryan ISD sported 1,499 state qualifiers vying for the “Golden Seal” award. However, only 150 students earned it; of those 150 students from across the state, FMHS senior Katherine Choi and juniors Ha Eun Chang and Diana Bodenmiller received the coveted award.

“The Golden Seal award looks amazing on a college application,” said VASE sponsor Suzanne McLeod. “Some students can even get scholarships with it.”

Despite the minimal opportunity of being awarded with the Golden Seal, many students from FMHS and other schools across the state received a score of 4 for their artwork, essentially a second place. As well, many colleges would view simply going to state as a great achievement, no matter the score.

“I have been to the state competition four times, and had received a four each time,” Choi said. “Because of that, I was nervous because it is my last year to do it, but I am proud, because getting the Seal after all this time means that I have improved immensely.”

The competition provides a chance for art students to learn not only how to improve their work, but to better articulate the process they had done to create the final product. In the regional competition, students must explain what had inspired the piece, describe the style used – stipple, impressionism, abstract, etc. – and how they went about creating that piece of art.

“At state level, the pieces are judged before you arrive,” Bodenmiller said. “Because of that, the interviews bear only on the regional competition and we just go to the workshops, gallery, or stay with friends while we wait for the award ceremony.”

Although VASE gives students the chance improve their style of art as well as their verbal interpretation of aforementioned art and, it also fuels school rivalries.

“The competition is not so much with the students, but with the school in general,” McLeod said. “While we had 3 students get Golden Seals, Marcus got one. On top of that, LHS, Hebron, and the Colony got none.”

Many FMHS competitors befriend students from other schools through these competitions, but none of them will deny that the school rivalry does motivate them to try at least a little bit harder.

“None of us set out to beat Marcus or the other schools,” Choi said. “Although I can’t say that I didn’t want to and I am glad that we did.”