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Students from Warsaw Community High School (WCHS) earned outstanding recognition in the 2026 regional Scholastic Art & Writing Awards, one of the nation’s most prestigious programs honoring creative teens, according to a news release from Warsaw Community Schools.
This year’s exhibition, hosted by the Fort Wayne Museum of Art, features work from 635 students across 87 schools in northern Indiana and northeast Ohio.
WCHS art students brought home 19 individual awards along with a Silver Key in the senior portfolio category, marking one of the school’s most successful years in the competition.
National-Level Distinction
Senior Kora Rockwell received both a Gold Key and a prestigious American Visions Award nomination for her sculpture Murky (ceramics and glass). This honor places her artwork among the five best pieces in the entire region out of 2,270 entries. American Visions nominees advance to national adjudication and scholarship consideration through the Alliance for Young Artists & Writers in New York.
Gold Key Award Recipients
Armando Arizmendi, Anya Baumgardner, Oren Henn, Makenna Moore, Eleanor Nightingale, Izabella Patrick, Kora Rockwell, Michael Schenck, Kyra Schmidt and Makenna Schmidt
Silver Key Award Recipients
Piper Hagan, Stephanie Malagon, Izabella Patrick and Lillian Price
Honorable Mention Recipients
Anya Baumgardner, Patryck Bocianski, Talen Chivington, Emily Ramsey and Jeam Torres Vazquez
Senior Portfolio Honor
Senior Jeam Torres Vazquez earned a Silver Key for his AP Studio Art portfolio.
Regional Gold Key winners now advance to national judging, where students compete for medals and more than $450,000 in scholarships. The exhibition at the Fort Wayne Museum of Art runs Feb. 14 to April 12, with an open house celebration on Feb. 15.
“This level of recognition speaks to the talent, dedication and creative voice of our students,” Andy Tomasik, WCHS art teacher said. “We are incredibly proud of how they represent Warsaw and the impact they are making through their art.”
