Solanco School District students combined to win a total of 22 awards in two contests.

The students in grades seven through 12 competed in the Lancaster County Young Artists (LCYA) Awards and Scholastic Art Awards.

Senior Addie Boyd earned a gold award from the LCYA, a ceramics award in memory of Caroline Henderson, and a Gold Key award from Scholastic. She is an American Visions nominee in ceramics and glass from Scholastic for her work "Picnic Tea Set."

Addie did not take up ceramics until her sophomore year of high school. "From my first class, I've loved it," she said. "I love working with my hands. I've always had a passion for it, I guess, once I found it."

Seniors Mindy Baker and Mia Truett each received honorable mention from both the LCYA and Scholastic.

Senior Cassidy Brown earned honorable mention from Scholastic.

Junior Blake Jenkins won an LCYA gold award and merit award and a Gold Key award from Scholastic.

"I've been drawing since I was a small child," Blake said. "It's always been a part of my home life. ... I feel like I enjoy it because it's a facilitator for a lot of things. It can help with stress. I can utilize creativity to express emotions when words won't work."

Junior Ashlyn Brown earned honorable mention from LCYA and a Silver Key award from Scholastic and was a Creative Futures Silver Award Scholarship recipient.

"It was very surreal, and it's motivating to have people appreciate my work," said Ashlyn. She said she enjoys ceramics because "it's the fact I'm making something out of natural materials that come from the Earth. It's cool to see something come to life that you imagined."

Junior Hannah Chen won a silver award from LCYA and an honorable mention from Scholastic and is a Creative Futures Silver Award Scholarship recipient.

The Creative Futures Silver Award Scholarship earned by both Ashlyn and Hannah is a $4,000 scholarship from the Pennsylvania College of Art & Design.

Sophomore Lila Good earned a gold award from LCYA and a Gold Key award and honorable mention from Scholastic. "I've been drawing my whole life," Lila said. "I started drawing more in fourth and fifth grade."

Freshman Charles Link won a silver award from LCYA and honorable mention from Scholastic.

Freshman Audrey Thatcher received honorable mention from Scholastic.

Riley Jenkins and Alyssa Herr, eighth-graders from Smith Middle School, both earned honorable mention from LCYA.

Averie Ross, a seventh-grader from Swift Middle School, won a Silver Key award from Scholastic.

Students honored by the Lancaster County Young Artists had their works displayed until April 27 at the Lancaster Museum of Art, 135 N. Lime St., Lancaster.

Solanco art teacher Shannon VanGyzen works with the students in high school who specialize in drawing. "It feels very rewarding," she said. "It's nice to see the hard work that I put into helping them bring out their creativity and develop their technical skill and then to see where they go with it. It's an amazing journey, and when they get awards like this, it's super validating. I feel incredibly proud."

Kesse Humphreys is a Solanco High teacher who concentrates on ceramics. "I love the process of seeing their ideas come to life, talking to them and pushing them on their ideas and concepts, and giving them the skills to build these things they're imagining in their own mind," he said. "It's very rewarding."

The Solanco teachers begin with fundamentals and then allow the students to explore. "We like to start with skill-building, giving them the skills and techniques to draw or paint or sculpt," said Humphreys. "Then start asking them questions and making them think about their environment and creating art in response to that. Mrs. VanGyzen and I like to incorporate things the students are interested in. I think that's big part of it. That engages their curiosity."