Fifteen highly accomplished high school students representing districts and campuses across greater Houston met for the first time on Aug. 5, marking the beginning of the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards Student Advisory Council and start of building a network of like-minded individuals passionate about creativity.

Established to amplify student voices and perspectives in shaping the regional Scholastic Art & Writing Awards experience, the council will collaborate with educators and partners to increase visibility, engagement and educational impact for the thousands of student artists and writers. Council members will use their fresh perspectives to inject a healthy dose of creativity into the competition.

The 15 seniors and juniors were selected among numerous applicants who submitted work in last year’s competition. Dr. Chandel Hancock, officer of professional learning and student recognition with Harris County Department of Education’s Center for Educator Success, welcomed them for the workshop and began the day by introducing purpose and goals, which students will be tasked to work on throughout the year.

The council also met with HCDE’s multimedia team and the Alliance for Young Artists & Writers Executive Director Chris Wisniewski and Jordan Smith, deputy director of program and operations. The next meeting, which will address topics such as competition submissions and adjudication, will be in September.