Visual Arts

The Year of the Tiger

As a part of St. Johns’ ongoing collaboration with White Oak Conservation, throughout the year, students of all ages were learning about and studying the tiger. White Oak has several tigers on its Yulee conservation property, and Grade 6 art students took a day to go to White Oak and visit them. But first, they put their tiger knowledge into practice creating this amazing tiger mural, below, depicting tigers of all shapes and sizes in their natural habitat. “Students studied the Malayan tiger,” said Visual Arts Department Chair and Grade 6 art teacher Anna Reynolds. “The mural features the palm oil plantations and deforestation that has displaced the tropical forests where the Malayan tigers live.”

30 Earn Scholastic Art Awards

In February, St. Johns was proud to celebrate thirty students who were honored with nearly 100 awards in this year’s Scholastic Art Awards--the nation’s most prestigious recognition program for creative teens. Their work was recognized by a panel of creative professionals from across Northeast Florida as the most outstanding work submitted among more than 2,600 entries and students were celebrated at an awards ceremony Saturday, February 12, at the Florida Theater.

Across St. Johns’ submissions, overall awards included 19 Gold Keys, 43 Silver Keys, and 34 Honorable Mentions. Recognized artists include:

• George Auchter ’24

• Brooks Burson ’23

• Kassie Burton ’22

• Calli Berrang ’26

• Kaiya Cooper ’22

• William Cooper ’23

• Josie Dinkins ’23

• Drake Dubois ’26

• Addison Ellis ’22

• Rowan Fix ’24

• Emma Gonzales ’22

• Kinley Hall ’22

• Sam Hopkins ’23

• Keaton Keiter ’26

• Anna Kemp ’23

• Marshall Martin ’23

• Brice McLellan ’26

• Cookie Myers ’23

• Riley Myers ’22

• Lulu Nowicki ’23

• Daniela Oceguera ’23

• Gabriela Oceguera ’25

• Maggie Pizzi ’22

• Reyden Rivera ’26

• Noelle Sanford ’22

• Sydney Schmidt ’26

• Emma Schultz ’23

• Emily Steckler ’26

• Ella Wilkes ’23

• Sophia Woolard ’24

Notably, St. Johns artists earned a Gold Key in every available category this year. Categories include Senior Portfolios; Design; Architecture & Industrial Design; Photography; Printmaking; Ceramic; Mixed Media; Sculpture; Drawing; Painting; Editorial Cartoon sponsored by The Herb Block Foundation; and American Visions.

In judging submissions, jurors look for works that exemplify the Awards’ core values: originality, technical skill, and the emergence of a personal voice or vision.