Student Art Competition Winners Announced by U.S. Department of Education Office of Indian Education

July 13, 2006, The U.S. Department of Education Office of Indian Education today announced the 2006 winners of the annual Native American Student Art Competition. Winning entries may be seen beginning July 17, at the U.S. Department of Education in Washington, D.C. as part of the agency’s Headquarters Art Exhibit Program. In September, the exhibit will travel to the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of the American Indian.

This year’s competition theme, “The Power to Dream, The Power to Achieve,” reflects the promise and importance for Native youths of pursuing an education. The art competition also seeks to emphasize to Native youth the value of pursuing an education, as well as to document education successes in Native communities. The competition was open to American Indian and Alaska Native students in pre-kindergarten through 12th grade.

The Office of Indian Education received 1,398 artworks from 32 states for the competition. Entries were judged by staff from the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian as well as the Office of Indian Education on the basis of originality, relationship of the artwork to the contest theme, creativity, composition and control of materials. Prizes were awarded in six categories according to grade level.

The winners of the 2006 Student Art Competition are:

Pre-Kindergarten

* 1st Place: Untitled by Makayla Chenot (Chukchansi), Pre K at Chukchansi Preschool, Coarsegold, Calif.
* 2nd Place: Once We Hunted Them, Now We Learn About Them by Pinna’Wasa’Pe Kopepasah (Comanche), Pre K at Myers Elementary/Children’s New World, Yukon, Okla.
* 3rd Place: Rainbow Dreams by Brittany Schwartz (Sault Ste Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians), Pre K at Gladstone Preschool, Rapid River, Mich.

Grades K-2

* 1st Place: Great Indian Artist by Ian Drapeau (Yankton), 2nd grade at Liberty Elementary School, Omaha, Neb.
* 2nd Place: I Want to be a Baby Doctor by Angela Longee (Sioux/Assiniboine), 1st grade at Liberty Elementary School, Omaha, Neb.
* 3rd Place: My Good Tangles by Kanowan A. Kayotawape (Menominee), 2nd grade at Gray Elementary School, Chicago, Ill.

Grades 3-5

* 1st Place: Sweet Dreams by Seneca O. Love (Penobscot Nation), 5th grade at Indian Island School, Bangor, Maine.
* 2nd Place: Living Up To Your Dream by Isabelle Chamberlain (Winnebago), 5th grade at Liberty Elementary School, Omaha, Neb.
* 3rd Place: My Reflection by Rachel M. Baldwin (Brothertown Indian Nation), 5th grade at Badger, Appleton, Wis.

Grades 6-8

* 1st Place: If You Can Believe, Then You Can Achieve by Antonio Perea (Navajo), 7th grade at Churchill County Junior High, Fallon, Nev.
* 2nd Place: The Gifts of Education by Jordan Martin-Thompson (St. Regis Mohawk), 8th grade at J.W. Leary Junior High, Massena, N.Y.
* 3rd Place: Dream Big! Reach for the Stars by Mariah Hayes (Cherokee), 8th grade at Commerce Middle School, Commerce, Okla.

Grades 9-10

* 1st Place: A Dream to Achieve by Amy Powless (Oneida), 10th grade at Beggs High School, Okmulgee, Okla.
* 2nd Place: Untitled by Michael Curley (Zuni), 10th grade at Pine Hill School, Zuni, N.M.
* 3rd Place: Successful Paths by Sunny A. Loneman (Cheyenne-Arapaho), 9th grade at Mountain Pointe High School, Phoenix, Ariz.
* Honorable Mention: The Sacred Road by Lorraine Peters (Navajo), 10th grade at Noli Indian School, Fontana, Calif.

Grades 11-12

* 1st Place: Education: The Power to Achieve Your Dream by Stephanie Hollis (Cherokee/Blackfoot), 12th grade at Woodward High School, Woodward, Okla.
* 2nd Place: Untitled by Samuel Dalgai (Navajo), 12th grade at Pine Hill School, Fort Defiance, Ariz.
* 3rd Place: College Dreams by Parker Forrest Blair (Mesquakie-Winnebago-Miwok), 11th grade at Bishop Union High School, Bishop, Calif.
* Honorable Mention: Native Nation by Brandon Price (Navajo), 11th grade at Del Norte High School, Crescent City, Calif.

“The student response to this year’s competition was impressive,” said Cathie Carothers, acting director of the Office of Indian Education. “We thank all of the students and community members who contributed to the competition for demonstrating the value of culture, the arts, and academic achievement to Native youths. Our heartfelt congratulations go to the winners as well as all the students whose submissions made this year’s judging challenging as well as exciting.”

The mission of the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Indian Education is to support the efforts of local education agencies, Indian tribes and organizations, postsecondary institutions and other entities to meet the unique educational and culturally related academic needs of American Indian and Alaska Native students, so that they can achieve to the same challenging state standards as all students. More information about the Office of Indian Education at the U.S. Department of Education can be found at www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/oese/oie/index.html.

(Note to editors: digital image files of winning artworks are available upon request.)

Contact Information

Gregg Wiggins

U.S. Department of Education

Contact via E-mail