Over the last decade, the Avon visual arts program has firmly established itself as one of the best in Connecticut. The countless awards our artists earn serve as proof. This year, those awards didn’t just come at the state level. It was recently announced that Avon Old Farms students earned seven total awards at the National Scholastic Art Awards, setting a new school record and making AOF one of the top earners in the entire country.

The National Scholastic Art & Writing Awards are the nation’s longest-running, most prestigious recognition program for teenage artists. More than 110,000 students from across the United States enter their art and writing projects, and only about 2% of those students are recognized nationally, making Avon’s seven wins an extraordinary achievement.

End of the Trail by Chris Nazarian — Gold Medal

“It’s the most rigorous competition. It’s the best of the best,” explains visual arts department chair Cristina Pinton. “The fact that six of the submissions got a gold medal is crazy. We don’t have precedents for this many awards. But that doesn’t happen by accident. It takes a lot of hard work and trust between the teacher and student.”

The winning artists from AOF this year include Yadiell De La Rosa ’28 for photography, Chris Nazarian ’26 for photography, Ryan Yu ’29 for photography, Felix Fan ’27 who won two awards for painting, and Isaiah Agyekum ’27 won for drawing and earned the additional “American Visions Award,” an even more selective achievement. It’s Avon’s best ever performance at the national level, and would be for most schools, as seven total awards in the art category is almost unheard of.

Morning by Ryan Yu — Gold Medal

“For the boys—and the school and the art department—it’s massive,” Pinton says. “And the fact we got one for painting, drawing, and photography, that there’s a kid from every grade, and they range from entry level class to AP, it shows the diversity of talent here.”

De La Rosa says he feels proud to have a national gold medal, but admits his initial reaction was surprise. “I thought it was good, but not that good. I didn’t know it was going to be award-winning,” he says, adding that it increased his desire to continue with photography at Avon.

The Rich and the Poor by Yadiell De La Rosa — Silver Medal

Yu expressed a similar sentiment. “I knew it was good, but I didn’t think it was the best one I submitted.” As a freshman, this was Yu’s first submission with Avon, making it even more impressive to have taken home an award. Although this is an indication there will likely be more awards in his future, that’s not what he’s concerned about. “Even if I’m not winning awards, I’ll keep taking pictures. It’s become a real hobby and interest of mine,” Yu shares.

For Cristina, she hopes this latest accomplishment inspires current artists to keep going, and to spark an interest in those considering taking an art class at Avon. “I always want boys to pick Avon over another school because of our art department, but I also like that it is a kind of little secret because then boys discover it on their own. I love when kids learn they love art by taking a course. We don’t need to recruit artists. We find them when they’re already here.”

Moving Towards Illumination by Isaiah Agyekum — Gold Medal and American Visions Award

National award winners will have their artwork included in a virtual exhibition at artandwriting.org. They will also be honored at a ceremony at Carnegie Hall in New York City.

Dos Mujeres Bailando and Amante en el Jardin both by Felix Fan — Two Gold Medals

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