[Congressional Record Volume 159, Number 62 (Monday, May 6, 2013)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E595]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




   HONORING NATIONAL MEDAL WINNERS OF THE SCHOLASTIC ART AND WRITING 
                             AWARDS OF 2013

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. STEVE ISRAEL

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                          Monday, May 6, 2013

  Mr. ISRAEL. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor a number of talented 
and dedicated high school students from my Congressional District who 
have won National Medals from the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards of 
2013. The Scholastic Awards are the largest, longest-running 
scholarship and recognition program for creative teens and are 
presented annually by the Alliance for Young Artists & Writers. These 
talented students are creative thinkers that will lead our nation into 
the future and I am so proud to recognize them today.
  I am honored to represent Long Island and Queens which are home to 
many top notch schools with dedicated teachers guiding talented young 
students to success. Specifically, I want to recognize the following 
students that I have the honor to represent here in Congress: Megan 
Basaldua of Frank Sinatra School of the Arts High School; Michela 
Bentel of the Choate Rosemary Hall; Lindsay Bu of Stuyvesant High 
School; Max Carol of Syosset Senior High School; Michelle Chen of 
Hunter College High School; Soohyun Cho, Seungeun Ha and Min Soo Kim of 
Oogie Art; Yirang Choe of Ashcan Studio Art; Alexandra Deplas, Megan 
Fox, Lauren Goldstein and Danielle Pestyner of Jericho Senior High 
School; Patrick Fahey of Manhasset Secondary School; Meagan Fontanes, 
Brianna Martin and Julia Tannenbaum of Northport Senior High School; 
Samantha Rose Klainberg and Kaiqi Zhu of Great Neck South High School; 
and Nicole Lee of High School Art & Design.
  Only 1,900 works of art and writing, from the initial pool of 230,000 
submissions, earned a National Medal. These students and their teachers 
should be commended for excelling and achieving such great success. 
They will be honored at Carnegie Hall in New York City on Friday, May 
31. Artwork from the award-winning students will be featured in an 
exhibition at Parsons The New School for Design and the Pratt Manhattan 
Gallery. A selection of students receiving awards for writing will have 
their work published in the annual anthology The Best Teen Writing of 
2013.
  Mr. Speaker, I again want to applaud the families, teachers and 
students that have made these achievements possible. I urge my 
colleagues to join me in commending you for all of your successes and I 
look forward to seeing your continued contribution to the arts.

                          ____________________