Students at West Hartford’s Hall High Scholastic’s have won scholastic writing awards in the past, but this is the first time a student has received an American Voices & Visions nomination.

Submitted by Amy Shaffer, Student Activities/Career Center Coordinator

Samuel Frank, a junior at William H. Hall High School, has garnered recognition in the 2020 Scholastic Writing Awards (Northeast Region-At-Large).

Founded in 1923, the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards are the nation’s longest-running, most prestigious educational initiative supporting student achievement in the visual and literary arts.  

Samuel received three recognitions: two Gold Keys for writing, one focused on critical writing and the other on humor titled, “A Bottomless Pyramid,” and an Honorable Mention for his work in journalism: “Is There Lead in Hall High’s Water?” In addition to the Gold Key, Sam’s critical essay “Gatsby’s Last Laugh” earned him an American Voices & Visions Nomination, the first for a Hall student.    

Five works of writing and five works of art from each region are selected by local judges as American Voices & Visions nominees, who are then celebrated in local exhibitions and ceremonies. From the pool of nominees, a panel of jurors in New York City selects one writer and one artist from each region to receive an American Voices Medal or an American Visions Medal, a non-financial highest regional honor. These Medalists are celebrated during National Events and at the National Exhibition in New York City.

In 2019, students submitted nearly 60,000 works of art and writing through 12 Region-at-Large areas. At the regional level, approximately 4% of the works receive Regional Gold Keys, 9% receive Silver Keys and 13% receive Honorable Mentions. Gold Keys honor the very best works submitted to local programs and are automatically considered for national-level recognition. Silver Keys recognize stand-out works that demonstrate exceptional ability. Honorable Mentions recognize accomplished work showing great skill and potential.

Like what you see here? Click here to subscribe to We-Ha’s newsletter so you’ll always be in the know about what’s happening in West Hartford!