The chance to have their work displayed in the Dallas Museum of Art is motivating students to participate in the Young Masters Art Competition. After the first round of judging, 10 art students have advanced to the preliminary round of the Young Masters statewide art exhibition.

“It’s a personal challenge, I mean, I spend almost all of my free time working on art trying to grow, and I have this weird feeling that if I do well in a serious competition like this that I’ll gain some confidence,” Young Masters participant Lauren Rivera said.

Last year, the school had six finalists who are now considered “Young Masters”.

“We went to the museum to the ceremony, and we felt important,” 2012 graduate and Young Master Cole Burnett said.  “That was cool. It was an incredibly dreamy experience.”

The Young Masters Art competition is sponsored by AP Strategies, a project by the O’Donnell Foundation that seeks to raise high school student’s interest in rigorous college-level art courses.  However taking part in the AP Strategies Grant program is about more than a student art competition.

“It provides funds for [AP] tests, cultural events, and enrichment activities like field trips,” AP Studio Art teacher Brice McCasland.  “It pays for teachers to get training and watch speeches by professionals who have a hand in grading AP Portfolios.”

One way AP Strategies measures the success of a school in its program is the number of students who go to school for art and the financial aid they receive to attend a higher institution of learning.

Last year, McCasland was able to report that the six seniors that graduated from AP Studio Art classes earned combined scholarships of more than one million dollars.

“It’s kind of mind-blowing,” McCasland said.

The students who advanced past the preliminary eliminations are Lauren Rivera, Brenna  Leiker, Bethany Wong, Amanda Woodruff, Mackenzie Miller, Amber Hunt, Drew Thomas, Jessica Harshman, Jonathan McInnis, Nick Kabore and Hallie Schwalm.