STRATFORD—Students at St. Mark School in Stratford, grades kindergarten through sixth, have begun preparations for their entries into the New England Science and Sailing (NESS), 2018 Long Island Sound drawing contest. Winners of the contest will get their drawing published in the annual NESS “Long Island Sound & Its Watershed” calendar sponsored by the Dominion Foundation.
The annual contest is a great opportunity for parents and teachers to provide their students with a hands-on experience and to educate them about Long Island Sound and its watershed.
For St. Mark School, it has done just that. Art class has become not only a time for students to express their creativity, but also a chance to discuss the contributions the Sound lends to their everyday life. St. Mark’s art teacher, Sarah Carrano, has been submitting students’ works for the last five of the more than ten years that the school has been participating in the contest. She fosters conversations, while helping students design their artwork. “We talk about the importance of the Sound and if they’ve been to it,” said Ms. Carrano, “then I have them close their eyes and envision it in their heads to help design their pictures.”
Last year, while in fourth grade, Lucas Auten’s drawing was selected for the month of January 2019 in the NESS 2018 Calendar. “In the past, I always drew sunken ships, but last year I decided to draw something more realistic,” Lucas, now a fifth grader, explained. “I chose to draw an underwater scene with fish and seaweed. I used a black Sharpie to outline the picture and then colored it in using crayons,” he said.
St. Mark will be submitting one drawing from each of the seven participating grades to be judged this year. Submission deadline is April 6th and the winning students will be announced in early May.
