George School students were recognized with 73 awards in the 2023 Philadelphia Region Scholastic Art and Writing Awards, with 19 Gold Key awards, 24 Silver Key awards, and 31 honorable mentions. Students selected for these honors are among the top student artists and writers in the greater Philadelphia area. All Gold Key-awarded pieces are considered for awards at the national level. National award winners will be announced in March.
In addition, Julian Lentchner ’23 and Melanie Shao ’24 were each nominated for the American Visions Award. Only five students from each region are nominated for the award, and national jurors will award the honor to one student from each region.
The Alliance for Young Artists & Writers has presented the awards since 1923. The organization recognizes and supports the creativity of young adults across the country, and honors student work that demonstrates originality, technical skill, and emergence of personal voice or vision.
“Our students work tirelessly in their respective studios to refine techniques and skills, while developing critical thinking and searching for their own voices,” shared Director of Visual Arts and Design Danielle Picard-Sheehan. “Each student recognized should be very proud of their achievements. These awards reflect the commitment our Visual Arts teachers have to opening the minds and imaginations of our students. I am grateful to my colleagues for their dedication to their students and for keeping expression and creative thinking a keystone of our community.”
Head of the English Department Melaina Young ’93 shared, “At George School, students learn to use their voices to amplify and enhance their experiences, speaking their truth. They learn the importance of developing and refining one’s writing voice to comment on the world around us. Through reading and analyzing literature in a variety of genres, students learn what good writing is and how to harness the power of lifting their voices to let their lives speak.”
See the complete list of recognized students below.
Writing
| Name | Title | Category | Award |
| Finn Nicolois ’23 | animalistic natures | Poetry | Gold Key |
| Ryan Park ’25 | Take a Leap – or Not | Novel Writing | Gold Key |
| Rhianna Searle ’23 | Steady | Poetry | Gold Key |
| Jingyi Chen ’24 | The Foreign Language Education Crisis: The Importance of Learning a Foreign Language Earlier in Schools | Critical Essay | Silver Key |
| Rhianna Searle ’23 | Sugar Snap Peas | Poetry | Silver Key |
| Flora Kim ’24 | Bangtan Sonyeondan: The Trailblazers of the West | Critical Essay | Honorable Mention |
| Rhianna Searle ’23 | A Golden Shovel for the Future | Poetry | Honorable Mention |
| Rhianna Searle ’23 | Finding Friends at the Churchville Nature Center | Personal Essay & Memoir | Honorable Mention |
Arts
| Name | Title | Category | Award(s) |
| Ally Fu ’24 | The Piano House | Painting | Gold Key |
| Chase Johnson ’23 | Prescriptions | Painting | Gold Key |
| Jerry Chen ’25 | Time | Drawing & Illustration | Gold Key |
| Julia Eler ’25 | Charcoal Self Portrait | Drawing & Illustration | Gold Key |
| Meadow Gober ’25 | Cat’s and their Positivity and Light Keeping me Content | Drawing & Illustration | Gold Key |
| Phoebe Gunn ’25 | A Family Walk | Drawing & Illustration | Gold Key |
| Melanie Shao ’24 | Fuji Reminiscence | Printmaking | Gold Key, American Visions Nominee |
| Joey DeFinis ’25 | Waves of Gray | Photography | Gold Key |
| Celine Ge ’26 | Waiting | Photography | Gold Key |
| Abby Kaufman ’26 | Fleeting | Photography | Gold Key |
| Julian Lentchner ’23 | Perception | Photography | Gold Key, American Visions Nominee |
| Yanshen Ni ’24 | Santa Playing the Accordian | Photography | Gold Key |
| Yanshen Ni ’24 | Save Clouded Leopards | Digital Art | Gold Key |
| Sarah Zhu ’26 | Ethereal Spirit of a Man | Photography | Gold Key |
| Sarah Zhu ’26 | Silhouette of a Father and Daughter | Photography | Gold Key |
| Simone Lu ’25 | Divided Space | Architecture & Industrial Design | Gold Key |
| Simone Lu ’25 | Love | Digital Art | Silver Key |
| Wei Wang ’23 | The Study of Johnny Cash | Digital Art | Silver Key |
| Joey DeFinis ’25 | Clock Tower | Photography | Silver Key |
| Julian Lentchner ’23 | Alone | Photography | Silver Key |
| Julian Lentchner ’23 | I hide him from my truth | Sculpture | Silver Key |
| Julian Lentchner ’23 | Is this Meatyard? | Photography | Silver Key |
| Julian Lentchner ’23 | Sade | Photography | Silver Key |
| Julian Lentchner ’23 | Untitled | Photography | Silver Key |
| Yutong Liang ’23 | Glass on Wall Street | Photography | Silver Key |
| Adam Weng ’24 | Ascension | Photography | Silver Key |
| Maura Whalen ’23 | Fading Rose | Photography | Silver Key |
| Jackson Yang ’25 | The Stare | Photography | Silver Key |
| Simone Lu ’25 | Love | Digital Art | Silver Key |
| Bao Do ’25 | My Hobbies | Drawing & Illustration | Silver Key |
| Chase Johnson ’23 | The Things That are Grey | Photography | Silver Key |
| Colette Pugliese ’24 | Self-scrutiny | Drawing & Illustration | Silver Key |
| Johanna Fassoth ’24 | Scherzo | Drawing & Illustration | Silver Key |
| Julia Stebbins ’24 | My Other Half | Drawing & Illustration | Silver Key |
| Melanie Shao ’24 | Ancient Town of Fenghuang | Printmaking | Silver Key |
| Xiai Pang ’26 | New Land | Mixed Media | Silver Key |
| Xiai Pang ’26 | Nirvana | Drawing & Illustration | Silver Key |
| Xiai Pang ’26 | Distance created by history | Flash Fiction | Silver Key |
| Simone Lu ’25 | Dear Jone | Design | Honorable Mention |
| Simone Lu ’25 | Who is the Artwork | Photography | Honorable Mention |
| Simone Lu ’25 | Gen Z Witch with Blue Heart | Digital Art | Honorable Mention |
| Maggie Beck ’26 | Dad and Snickers | Photography | Honorable Mention |
| Joey DeFinis ’25 | Red Sun | Photography | Honorable Mention |
| Geng Shuoliang ’25 | Harvest | Photography | Honorable Mention |
| Daniel Gluschuk ’25 | House of the Gods | Photography | Honorable Mention |
| Julian Lentchner ’23 | Looking for Love | Film & Animation | Honorable Mention |
| Julian Lentchner ’23 | Luca | Mixed Media/Photography | Honorable Mention |
| Julian Lentchner ’23 | My Last Supper | Photography | Honorable Mention |
| Cindy Li ’23 | In the Eye | Photography | Honorable Mention |
| Hana Oh ’24 | Serenity | Photography | Honorable Mention |
| Adam Weng ’24 | Solitude | Photography | Honorable Mention |
| Jackson Yang ’25 | Generation Gap | Photography | Honorable Mention |
| Sarah Zhu ’26 | Spiraling Up | Photography | Honorable Mention |
| Amani Speller ’23 | Guide From Above | Drawing & Illustration | Honorable Mention |
| Chase Johnson ’23 | Submerged in Flames | Photography | Honorable Mention |
| Jhane Brooker ’23 | Bessie | Painting | Honorable Mention |
| Jhane Brooker ’23 | Feelin’ Antsy | Painting | Honorable Mention |
| Jhane Brooker ’23 | Hibachi Nights | Painting | Honorable Mention |
| Jhane Brooker ’23 | It Just Tickles… | Painting | Honorable Mention |
| Lydia Crenshaw ’24 | Cambridge Looking Glass | Drawing & Illustration | Honorable Mention |
| Ruby Mae Colson ’24 | Charcoal Self Portraits | Drawing & Illustration | Honorable Mention |
| Sam Tchoumandrine ’25 | Midfield | Drawing & Illustration | Honorable Mention |
| Xiai Pang ’26 | Lines | Drawing & Illustration | Honorable Mention |
| Xiai Pang ’26 | Narcissus | Painting | Honorable Mention |
| Yanshen Ni ’24 | Life but with a twist | Drawing & Illustration | Honorable Mention |
| Zoë Goykhman ’24 | Current Events | Drawing & Illustration | Honorable Mention |
Wednesday, March 15: Guest Chef Shavit Moshe will feature authentic Israeli Cuisine.
Thursday, March 16: Pizza day
Friday, March 17: Faculty/staff lunch on Red Square (weather permitting)
Friday, March 31: Dinner and a movie night featuring We Feed People with a menu of authentic Spanish cuisine.
Parents/Guardians: Please join the Parent and Guardian Association (PGA) for its final meeting of the school year on Monday, April 17 from 6:30-8:00 p.m. in the MDA Library Conference Room. Those unable to attend in person may join virtually via Zoom. 
Winter Formal
, pizza
, and lots of fun to be had! We hope to see you there! 
