New Market Middle student wins national art contest

Megan, 12, a rising seventh-grader at New Market Middle School, participated in the first Sargent Art Contest, in which she took grand prize. Her colored pencil drawing depicts various art utensils and the Maryland state flag, which fit into the theme of the contest, which was "making a brighter world."

Megan said she has been drawing "since [she] could hold a pencil." She said that during the school year, she spends at least two hours a day drawing, although a busy summer schedule has kept her from doing more than a few hours of drawing a week. Drawing and art in general are in Megan's blood: her mother, Julie Newcomer, is an art teacher.

Megan entered the contest last winter when her art teacher, Kathryn Martin, told the class about the opportunity.

Everyone in Megan's class had the option to submit a piece to the contest, but she was one of three students who sent in art.

While Megan said she was too young to have decided what to study in college yet, she did say that she was considering studying art.

"It's one of my choices," she said. The grand prize will certainly help her in this pursuit, and she has also entered and will continue to enter any art contest she hears about, she said. "It's kind of good to put my name out there," Megan said. Her favorite drawing subjects are her two dogs, a flat-coated retriever and the other is a cockapoo.

Megan and 16 other contest winners and their teachers from throughout the country travelled to New York City for an all-expenses paid trip to be honored at an awards breakfast. They then visited the city's popular sites, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

The contest was held during Youth Art Month and coordinated through each state's Art Education Association, the contest drew winners from five states – Pennsylvania, Maryland, Florida, New Jersey and California. Participants submitted artwork in the form of pencil, crayon, marker or pastel drawings; watercolor paintings; paper sculpting; or mixed media of any kind.

Based in Hazleton, Pa., Sargent Art, named after painter John Singer Sargent, has been a leading manufacturer and importer of art and craft materials for more than 75 years, according to a press release from the company. Sargent Art helped to found the Art and Craft Materials Institute, is a member of the National School Supply Equipment Association, and contributes to art education.

On campus

Ô Mary Ann Saunders of Mount Airy was recently named to the dean's list at Lehigh University in Bethlehem, Pa. She is a 2007 graduate of Urbana High School. Mary Ann is pursuing a degree in electrical engineering.

Ô Jennifer Michelli of New Market made it onto the dean's list for the fall 2007 and spring 2008 semesters at Indiana University of Pennsylvania in Indiana, Pa., where she is majoring in Education of the Deaf and Hearing Impaired.

Ô Limestone College in Gaffney, S.C., has announced that Brian Baugher of Frederick earned his degree during a commencement ceremony in May. Baugher was awarded a bachelor's degree in criminal justice.

Ô Joseph Garrett of Frederick was awarded a degree from Gettysburg College in Pennsylvania during a ceremony on May 18.

Ô Dickinson College in Carlisle, Pa. has announced that Catharine Quirk received her degree during commencement exercises on May 18. Quirk received a bachelor's degree in biochemistry and molecular biology and history. She is the daughter of Kevin and Cathy Quirk of Frederick and a 2004 graduate of Frederick High School.

Ô Jaime K. Stull of Walkersville was named to the spring 2008 dean's list at the University of Delaware, according to a press release from the university.

Students at the Newark, Del. school have to have a grade point average of at least 3.33. Stull is a sophomore majoring in biology.

Ô Charlotte Thompson, a student at Frederick Community College and a 2007 graduate of Walkersville High School, recently received the first scholarship from The Edgar and Mildred Larson Scholarship Fund, according to a press release from the Community Foundation of Frederick County.

Thompson studies agriculture business. She was the president of the Career and Tech Future Farmers Association and the Frederick County Dairy Club, and she is a former Frederick County and Maryland Dairy Princess.

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