On March 14, Miami-Dade County Public Schools will be holding a ceremony for the Scholastic Art and Writing Gold and Silver Key award winners. This award is the highest regional honor for students in grades 7-12, recognizing creative work in a wide range of categories, from drawing to experimental photography.
Earlier this month, five Miami Palmetto Senior High students proudly received this award, including five golden key winners, two silver key winners and two honorable mentions. Additionally, two students received American Vision Award nominations out of five offered by Miami-Dade County Public Schools.
Awards were issued to the following students throughout multiple categories:
- Sophia Pichirilo — American Visions, Three Gold Keys, Silver Key
- Joaquin Alvarez — American Visions, Gold Key
- Chloe De La Milera — Gold Key
- Zachary Lewis — Two Honorable Mentions
MPSH art teacher John Salomon recognizes the success and dedication of MPSH artists, highlighting their accomplishments despite anticipated challenges.
“We hadn’t participated in a while, probably since Covid, so this is our first foray back into it, and we did very well,” Salomon said.
Taking home multiple highly prestigious awards, this year’s winners highlight the creative talent and students’ range of ability, indicating a promising future for the MPSH arts department. Nonetheless, the arts at MPSH extend far beyond awards. Many in the MPSH Visual and Performing Arts Department are extremely dedicated to their craft, both inside and outside the classroom.
“The American Vision specifically is a big deal to us as only five in the district are offered and we took home two as a non-arts magnet school,” Salomon said.
The Palmetto Arts Instagram account, dedicated to art, photography, music, dance, drama, art history and ceramics, places a strong emphasis on regularly featuring students’ work and accomplishments. By centering the account around student talent, MPSH students are provided an outlet to express themselves creatively and share their passion with others.
Junior and Portfolio 3D student Zoe Weirich says the arts department at MPSH feels like more than just a class.
“I think art at Palmetto is a really great community; it’s grown a lot since I’ve been here,” Weirich said. “I’ve been doing art since I was really young and was in an art magnet in middle school, and Palmetto’s [art department] allowed me to continue that passion even with all of the other classes I take.”
