February 5, 2025 - Gabrielle Polarski

Gabrielle recently won the prestigious art award described below. We'll talk art, creativity, drawing, expression, curiosity & more-- Congrats to Gabrielle, her family, and the whole art department! #GOPORT!

Port Jervis Senior Wins Prestigious Scholastic Gold Key Art Award

PJHS senior Gabrielle Polarski has received the Gold Key Award for her digital art in the 2025 round of the Scholastic Art and Writing Awards, the highest level of recognition. Port Jervis has a long-standing tradition of high-quality visual arts programming and has regularly participated in Scholastic since 2016.

The local Scholastic regional affiliate, which began in 2009, serves Sullivan, Ulster, Dutchess, and Orange Counties. The event kicks off each year with the Regional Affiliate Awards Ceremony and Exhibit on February 7, 2025 at SUNY New Paltz.

Students compete against each other in a wide variety of categories. Awards include Honorable Mention, Silver Key, and Gold Key. Competition is very high for all awards, with several thousand works of art entered annually for the regional contest alone.

Silver Key-winning works of art will be exhibited at the regional showcase, while Gold Key works, like Gabrielle Polarski's, will be exhibited and then move on to the national level competition to compete against all Gold Key winners across the nation.

“My artwork, "Lured into the Deep" was a piece I worked on for some time. This award was really an amazing opportunity for me, it is a new and wonderful experience for my last year in high school,” says Gabrielle.