Jared Rodriguez stands next to his original drawing which earned him a gold medal in the 2010 National Scholastic Art and Writing Awards competition. The talented Lehman graduate earned the right to travel to New York City for the awards program, held at Carnegie Hall. (Photo by Debra Flynn)
by JIM CULLEN
Jared Rodriguez, a 2010 Lehman High School graduate and one of Hays CISD’s most talented young artists, recently capped off his high school career with a highlight-filled trip to New York City to enjoy some national recognition.
In April, Jared was awarded a Scholastic National Gold Medal for an original drawing at the state Visual Art Scholastic Event (VASE) state meet in Houston. In addition – and for a separate entry – he won a state gold medal and the prestigious American Visions Award.
“It’s really what was so impressive about Jared’s year – the honors he got this year came from two different pieces,” Lehman art teacher Debra Flynn said.
Flynn accompanied Rodriguez to the early summer recognition of the 2010 National Scholastic Art and Writing Awards winners, hosted by the Alliance for Young Artists and Writers. The celebration was held at New York City’s Carnegie Hall. There, Jared joined 600 other award winners from across the country, representing the tip of the iceberg that began with 165,000 entries in the 2010 Scholastic competition.
The next day, more than 1,300 attendees gathered at New York’s World Financial Center Courtyard Gallery for the opening of the Scholastic Art and Writing Awards Teen Exhibition, which features Jared’s work along with the award winners in sculpture, poetry, dramatic script, photography, painting, print-making and video game design.
Art teacher Flynn reports the trip “was so incredible,” noting that she and Jared “were treated like celebrities” from the moment they registered. The pair toured the city, seeing the Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Guggenheim Museum, the Museum of Modern Art and enjoying “West Side Story” on Broadway.
“It was a little overwhelming to know Jared’s work was chosen to be with such a diverse and outstanding group of young artists, and it was a very proud moment to really understand that he was one of the best,” Flynn said.
“It was all very well deserved,” she adds, saying that it was the result “of a year when Jared committed to his artwork and created work that he felt was worthy of being exhibited.”
