​​​SAN JOSE, CA – Every year, the Santa Clara County Office of Education (SCCOE) invites public and charter school students in grades TK-12 to highlight their talents and participate in the Young Artists Showcase and New Museum Los Gatos (NUMU) High School Art Competition.

The 2017 winners are:

TK/K:

• Alyssa Li - Heart Earth (Ruskin Elementary, Berryessa Union School District)
  
• Diya Choyi - Chasing Balloons in My Dream  (Ruskin Elementary, Berryessa Union School District)
  
• Jayden Leaokittikul - Under the Sea (Fammatre Elementary, Cambrian School District)

1^st Grade:

• Nathan Chen - Fish in My Heart (Ruskin Elementary, Berryessa Union School District)
• Sydney Majaya - Cocoa, My Neighbor's Dog (Sinnott Elementary, Milpitas Unified School District)
• Tristan Borja - My Art... Our Hearts (Pearl Zanker Elementary, Milpitas Unified School District)

2^nd Grade:

• Chloe Lee - Dream Beach (Ruskin Elementary, Berryessa Union School District)
• Katie Lee - Deep in the Sea (Sinnott Elementary, Milpitas Unified School District)
• Samantha Flint ​- Sun and Night (Lakeside Elementary, Lakeside School District)

3^rd Grade:

• Megan Li - The Cat (Ruskin Elementary, Berryessa Union School District)
• Aerin Tsai - Rams Dancing in Fall (Williams Elementary, San Jose Unified School District)
• Yuna Ogiwara - Cheerful Rooster (Forest Hill Elementary, Campbell Union School District)

4^th Grade:

• Neoma Morab - How People Live in the Village (Ruskin Elementary, Berryessa Union School District)
  
• Kenneth Chuang - The Big Wave (Forest Hill Elementary, Campbell SD)
  
• Aaron Cu, Allison Hsieh, Eileen Lai, Evan L. - We are Having Fun Feeding the Geese (Meyerholz Elementary, Cupertino Union School District)

5^th Grade:

• Jiashuo (Jessie) Wang - Welcoming a New Member Into Our Family (Majestic Way Elementary, Berryessa Union School District)
• Abby Mognis Noble - The Tree of Life (Forest Hill Elementary, Campbell Union School District)
• Tanisha Varma   - Poppies in Wilderness (Sinnott Elementary, Milpitas Unified School District)

6^th Grade:

• Shifa Meenaz - Colors of Happiness (Lawson Middle, Cupertino Union School District)
• Juliet Rumi Sostena - Untitled (Union Middle, Union Elementary School District)
• Lillian Chung - Above It All (Sierramont Middle, Berryessa Union School District)

7^th Grade:

• Rachel Li - The Circle in the Pond (Sierramont Middle, Berryessa Union School District)
  
• Florence Zhang - Christianity Flows (Union Middle, Union Elementary School District)
  
• Meghan McCleary - Leopard Eyes (Union Middle, Union Elementary School District)
• Catherine Huang - Little Plant (Union Middle, Union Elementary School District)

8^th Grade:

• Tiffany To - My Life Matters Too (Rancho Middle, Milpitas Unified School District)
• Cariza Lugtu - Drained Emotions (Rancho Middle, Milpitas Unified School District)
• Catherine Wu - Red Rain Boots (Quimby Oak Middle, Evergreen School District)
• Hana Seo - Midnight Stroll (Union Middle, Union Elementary School District)
• Natalie Urban - You Can't Hide From the Truth (Union Middle, Union Elementary School District)

High School (via NUMU ArtNow):

• Titilola Bolarinwa - Until the End (Palo Alto High, Palo Alto Unified School District)
• Laura Chaland - I Choose Me (Saratoga High, Los Gatos-Saratoga Union High School District)
• Michelle Chang - Snowy Day (Homestead High, Fremont Union High School District)
• Xinyue Chen - Tree of Memories (Leigh High, Campbell Union High School District)
• Hannah Cho - Ocean of Possibilities (Santa Teresa High, East Side Union High School District)
• Yoon Jung Cho – Choices (Palo Alto High, Palo Alto Unified School District)
• Emma Choi - Options Unseen (Homestead High, Fremont Union High School District)
• Tara Choudhry - The American Refrigerator (Wilcox High, Santa Clara Unified School District)
• Alexandra Fowler - Spilt Subconscious (Los Altos High, Mountain View Los Altos High School District)
• Margaret Greer - On the Brink (Los Gatos High, Los Gatos-Saratoga Union High School District)
• Irene Han – Erasure (Lynbrook High, Fremont Union High School District)
• Kaylyn Ho - Two Doors, Two Lives (Los Altos High, Mountain View Los Altos High School District)
• Siena Inaba - Mother Nature's Last Breath (Del Mar High, Campbell Union High School District)
• Julia Rose Joroski – Immerse (Pioneer High, San Jose Unified School District)
• Katie Leong - Penrose Triangle of Shoes (Wilcox High, Santa Clara Unified School District)
• Isabel Martynenko - Paint Me Rouge (Freestyle Academy, Mountain View Los Altos High School District)
• Adrian Mendez - Light in Darkness (Willow Glen High, San Jose Unified School District)
• Ada Parnanen - Trapped in Space (Mountain View High, Mountain View Los Altos High School District)
• Daisy Qian - Goodnight, Sleep Tight (Fremont High, Fremont Union High School District)
• Claire Sheih – Transience (Lynbrook High, Fremont Union High School District)
• Christien Skousen - It Weighs You Down (Mountain View High, Mountain View Los Altos High School District)
• Sarah Teng – Masquerade (Mountain View High, Mountain View Los Altos High School District)
• Annli Tico  - 9 to 5 Starman (Los Altos High, Mountain View Los Altos High School District)
• Shayla Tonge - Choosing Joy (Freestyle Academy, Mountain View Los Altos High School District)

A committee of art specialists from throughout the community select the elementary and middle school winners and local university art professors choose the high school winners through the ArtNow contest held earlier this year. Twenty four of the 60 ArtNow finalists will be featured at the Young Artists Showcase.

"Every year, in May, we celebrate these artists at our Young Artists Showcase Celebration. This event is designed to encourage students' interest in art, and to underscore the importance of art in our schools," says Jeannine Flores, SCCOE Visual and Performing Arts Coordinator.

"In 1995, when the SCCOE central office relocated to its current location, the facility was filled with long gray, bare walls, what began as a practical solution has become an incredible tradition," according to Flores. "The SCCOE now has the largest permanent adjudicated collection of student artwork in California. This year's collection will bring the total to 956 pieces of art displayed."

Students have the choice of having their original work added to the permanent collection or a facsimile. Included are paintings, drawings, watercolors, photographs, sculptures and multi-media works.

Tens of thousands of educators, members of the general public who visit the SCCOE each year, and all the SCCOE staff view this collection each year, "it reminds us of the importance of arts education and the creativity it sparks in students of all ages," says Flores.    

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