Leander Students' Art Garners Honors At Congressional Contest

LEANDER, TX — Two Leander students were among the winners in a congressional art competition over the weekend, officials said.

Abbigail Spillane and Evan Hoffman, both students at Rouse High School, came in second place in their respective categories, the former winning in the "collages" category with her piece titled "I Change My Mind" and the latter in the "computer-generated" art category with his entry titled "Loss of Self."

The contest was one of several taking place at congressional districts across the country, including District 31 represented by U.S. Rep. John Carter.

A Round Rock student was was awarded the top prize in the congressional art competition, and her work was deemed "best of show." Cedar Ridge High School student Nicole Marie Petrik was awarded first place for her art piece titled "Innocence." Other Round Rock ISD winners included Bobbie Requejo, Jordan Wormley and Jillianne Yap, all from Stony Point High School.

“The young men and women in District 31 really brought their A game," Carter noted in a prepared statement. "It was certainly difficult for our judges to choose the winners. I look forward to Nicole’s visit to Washington, D.C., and seeing her artwork represent District 31 in the Capitol each day."

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Each spring, the Congressional Institute sponsors a nationwide high school visual art competition to recognize and encourage artistic talent in the nation and in each congressional district, according to information on the event on the U.S. Congress website. Since the Artistic Discovery competition began in 1982, more than 650,000 high school students have participated, according to the site.

Students submit entries to their representative’s office, and panels of district artists select the winning entries. Winners are recognized both in their district and at an annual awards ceremony in Washington, D.C., and the winning works are displayed for one year at the U.S. Capitol.

This year's winners were announced at a Saturday reception hosted by Carter and city officials. The hour-long ceremony took place at the Texas State University Round Rock campus, 1555 University Blvd., and was free and open to the public.

"Congratulations to all of our participants for their hard work,” Carter added in his prepared statement.

Below is the complete list of winners under each category:

PAINTINGS

1st Place: “Sister Part II” by Kendra Garmon, Academy High School

2nd Place: “Inner Colors” by Rowan Dennis, Liberty Hill High School

3rd Place: “Pine Cones and Flowers” by Jordan Wormley, Stony Point High School

DRAWINGS

1st Place: “Innocence” by Nicole Marie Petrik, Cedar Ridge High School (pictured as Best In Show)

2nd Place: “Sophie” by Mary Fluitt, Georgetown High School

3rd Place: “Chloe” by Cristina Yasquez, Georgetown High School (not pictured)

MIXED MEDIA

1st Place: “There’s An Opening” by Rachel Cannon, Killeen High School

2nd Place: “Flight” by Morgan Brunning, Georgetown High School

3rd Place: “Perspective” by Jillianne Yap, Stony Point High School

PHOTOGRAPHS

1st Place: “Reflecting” by Jacklyn Baez, Georgetown High School

2nd Place: “Solitary” by Thomas Byrd, Thrall High School

3rd Place: “Below Reality” by Dylan Barrington, Thrall High School

COLLAGES

1st Place: “Eesome Night” by Bobbie Requejo, Stony Point High School

2nd Place: “I Change My Mind” by Abbigail Spillane, Rouse High School

COMPUTER-GENERATED ART

1st Place: “You Can Take the Girl Out of Texas…” by Carley Thompson, Killeen ISD Career Center

2nd Place: “Loss of Self” by Evan Hoffman, Rouse High School

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“I’ll Carry It With Me” by Julie Vandagritt, Gateway College Prep High School

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