Local students thrive at High School Art Symposium

It was a successful event in Casper for Lovell High School art students at the 2025 Wyoming High School Activities Association’s state art symposium last week.

Out of almost 5,000 entries at the event, LHS brought home 35 blue ribbons, three congressional artist discovery (best in show) awards and one First Lady’s Choice award.

Junior Janie McKay was selected for the First Lady’s Choice Award, and her project will go in the Governor’s mansion in Cheyenne for the entire year.

McKay also received the Wyoming Art Education Association Artist Discovery Award for a crochet piece that she created, with only 40 pieces out of the whole show selected for this honor.

Senior Brittni Aagard also received the prestigious recognition of a special purple ribbon with a metal-welded headdress that LHS/LMS art teacher Tera Kostelecky said was, “A beautiful piece.”

United States Representative Harriet Hageman selected Augastina Lembke’s watercolor/ink piece for the Artist Congressional Award.

“This year we had 84 participants,” Kostelecky said. “It’s an impressive year, and I would love to give a huge shoutout to the school and community. For a school of this size, to bring home this many awards is astonishing. It is the most I have had in my 15 years of teaching.”

Those winning ribbons are: Brooklin Clark (4), Elana Schilthuis (4), Aagard (3), Livee James (3), Avery Layne (3), Celeste Lindsay (2), McKay (2), Lembke (2), Christina Zollman, Kourtnee Roper, Juliette Caldwell, Leah Sockey, Rebecca Allred, Hudsen Mickelson, Lily Hiser, Hannity Felkins, Elijah Montanez, Elena Aagard and Kira Collins.

All the work will be on display at the Lovell High School Fine and Performing Arts awards banquet on May 15 at 6 p.m. in the LHS multi-purpose room.

 ROCKY ART

Rocky Mountain High School senior Sharlotte Hanusa received three blue ribbons for her artwork in Casper at the WHSAA state art symposium.

Her winning creations included one entitled “Majestic Tetons,” a painting she created for her parents, who got engaged in the Tetons.

Another ribbon was awarded for a painting called “Mountains and Meadows,” which she painted to be featured on her senior banner that now hangs in the gym.

Lastly, the third ribbon was awarded for her piece entitled “Dinosaurs and Bison,” inspired by the state park in Thermopolis, “a place where the past and present meet, once home to dinosaurs and now a refuge for roaming bison,” Hanusa said.