Three Half Hollow Hills Students Honored In The 2026 Scholar-Artist Program

Since 2007, the Long Island Arts Alliance’s Scholar-Artist Awards program has recognized students judged to be “the best of the best” on Long Island in both academics and in the arts. This year, Half Hollow Hills is proud to announce that two students were selected as Scholar-Artists and one additional student was selected to receive an Award of Merit.

Half Hollow Hills High School West’s Madison Kayton was selected as a Scholar-Artist in Dance, and Half Hollow Hills High School East’s Emma Wilck was selected as a Scholar-Artist in Media Arts. In addition, Hills West’s Kaya Dobrzanski received an Award of Merit in Media Arts.

They join other students across Long Island selected as Scholar-Artists and Award of Merit recipients for their skills and talents in the areas of music, visual arts, dance, theater, or media arts. Kayton and Wilck represent the latest in a proud tradition of Half Hollow Hills students recognized through this prestigious program.

To receive this designation, students must be graduating seniors nominated by their school for representing the highest level of artistic excellence, submit a portfolio of their work for consideration by the selection committee, and demonstrate superior academic achievement with an unweighted grade point average of 90 or above.

"Congratulations to Madison, Emma, and Kaya on this extraordinary accomplishment," said Jon Trapani, Director of Fine Arts at Half Hollow Hills. "Their artistry and academic excellence truly reflect the caliber of talent we nurture in our schools."

The Scholar-Artist awards, given by the Long Island Arts Alliance in conjunction with Newsday and the New York Community Bank Foundation, are presented to 20 Long Island high school seniors who are featured in Newsday over the course of the 10-month school year. The Awards of Merit are given to an additional 20 students who receive a certificate at the Long Island Arts Alliance Gala and are listed on the Newsday website.

For more information, please visit the Long Island Arts Alliance Scholar-Artist Awards page: https://longislandartsalliance.org/scholar-artist-awards/class-of-2026/.

An education-oriented community with high academic expectations, the Half Hollow Hills Central School District is located in a residential area of 50,000 people in the central part of Long Island, approximately 40 miles from New York City. Providing for the education of approximately 7,200 students, the school district has five elementary schools, two middle schools and two high schools. Half Hollow Hills High Schools are fully accredited by the New York State Department of Education. The district is committed to providing all students with equitable opportunities to excel in academics, athletics and the arts.