News Release

Yosemite National Park and The Ansel Adams Gallery to Host Award Ceremony and Art Exhibition on Saturday, October 5, 2018

Date: September 21, 2018

Yosemite National Park and The Ansel Adams Gallery are proud to honor the winners of the 2018 Gateway Expressions Student Art, Photography, and Poetry Contest at a special award ceremony beginning at 11:00 am on Saturday, October 5, 2018* in front of The Ansel Adams Gallery. Yosemite National Park and The Ansel Adams Gallery would like to thank Yosemite Conservancy for their generous support of this special program and our local students.
 
This year, Yosemite National Park received over 200 submissions from students in our local gateway communities. The artwork and poetry received was divided into categories and by grade level. All submissions were judged and the winning submissions were selected by a combination of park staff and park partners. All winning student artwork and poetry will be on display in The Ansel Adams Gallery on Saturday, October 5, 2018 from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm.


This contest is a way for the park to celebrate the creativity of youth in the Yosemite gateway communities. The contest is open to all students, grades TK-12, who attend school or youth programs within the gateway community school districts of Yosemite National Park. This year the contest featured artwork from a record number of gateway communities including Bass Lake Joint Union, Big Oak Flat Groveland Unified, Bishop Unified, Chawanakee Unified, Eastern Sierra Unified, Mammoth Unified, Mariposa County Unified, Raymond-Knowles Union, the districts of Tuolumne County, Yosemite Unified and Sonora Area Schools.
The winners of the 2018 Gateway Expressions Student Art, Photography, and Poetry Contest are: 
TK Art:


1st Place: Miles Latham, Yosemite Valley Elementary 
2nd Place: Weston Helling,  Yosemite Valley Elementary 
3rd Place: Nizhani Atwell,  Yosemite Valley Elementary 
Honorable Mention: Finn Davenport
 
Kindergarten-1st Grade Art:
 
1st Place: Emma Esquivel, El Portal Elementary Schook
2nd Place: Sierra Harrington,  Yosemite Valley Elementary & Noah Cram, Coarsegold Elementary School
3rd Place: Nollie Buskeness,  Yosemite Valley Elementary 
Honorable Mention: Harper Klarcyk,  Yosemite Valley Elementary 
Honorable Mention: Annin Leahy,  Yosemite Valley Elementary  
Honorable Mention: Sadie Hinson, Lee Vining Elementary School
 
2nd-3rd Grade Art:
 
1st Place: Evelyn Carter, El Portal Elementary School
2nd Place: James Stenberg, Coarsegold Elementary School
3rd Place: Safia Guadagni,  Yosemite Valley Elementary  & Ember Eilts, Lee Vining Elementary School
Honorable Mention: Karessa Ruaisab-Smith,  Yosemite Valley Elementary  
Honorable Mention:  Tyler Ruffner, El Portal Elementary School
Honorable Mention: Whitney Marcis, El Portal Elementary School
 
4th-5th Grade Art:
 
1st Place: Leyla Vega, Belleview Elementary School
2nd Place: Ella Ruth Reynolds, Yosemite Valley Elementary
3rd Place: Kiera Kjer, Belleview Elementary School
Honorable Mention: Morgan Imrie, Sierra Foothill Charter School
Honorable Mention:  Darragh Duffy, Sierra Foothill Charter School
 
6th-8th Grade Art:
 
1st Place: Dahlia Lane Munoz, Yosemite Valley Elementary
2nd Place: Presley Nash, Mammoth Middle School
3rd Place: Celianna Lee, Sierra Foothill Charter School
Honorable Mention: Vida Orozco, Mammoth Middle School
Honorable Mention: Gabriela Morris, Yosemite Valley Elementary  
Honorable Mention: Tadd Sexton, Sierra Foothill Charter School
 
9th-12th Grade Art:
 
1st Place: Cedar Dobson, Yosemite High School
2nd Place: Amanda Gutierrez, Yosemite High School
3rd Place: Kaitlyn Fisher, Yosemite High School
Honorable Mention: Clover Cicoletti, Yosemite High School
Honorable Mention:  Gianna Tawney, Tioga High School
 
Wild and Scenic River Act Anniversary Award:
 
1st Place: Sadie Henderson, Rivergold Elementary School
2nd Place: Rylie Mitchell, El Portal Elementary School
3rd Place: Sophie Petrelli, Coarsegold Elementary
Honorable Mention: Gregory O'Cana, Coarsegold Elementary School
Honorable Mention:  Cooper Deglomine, El Portal Elementary School
Honorable Mention:  Cache Ripple, El Portal Elementary School
 
Group Art:
 
1st Place: Coarsegold Elementary School, Ms. Tashjian's Class
2nd Place: Belleview Elementary School, Izibella Reyes & Alvyvia Cromwell
3rd Place: Spring Valley Elementary School, Mrs. McGrew's Class
 
Photography 4th-5th:
 
1st Place: Russell Shaw, Oakhurst Elementary School
2nd Place: Grayson Ryan Shaw, Oakhurst Elementary School
 
Photography 6th-8th:
 
1st Place: Gabriella R. Shaw, Oak Creek Intermediate School
2nd Place: Erika Ayers, Lake Don Pedro Elementary School
3rd Place: Jaeyahna Bolar, Sierra Foothill Charter School
 
Gateway Award:
 
1st Place: Connor Eastwood, Sierra Foothill Charter School
2nd Place: Zane Baumann, Sierra Foothill Charter School
3rd Place: Kazuki Okamoto, Mammoth High School
Honorable Mention: Gregory Bribiesca, Mammoth Middle School
Honorable Mention: 
Jude Johnson, Yosemite Valley School
 
Special Awards:
 
Ansel Adams Award: Lyle Laurence, Mammoth High School
Yosemite Award: Bekah Fickling


* Date correction