Media Contact: Marco Alvarado Director of Communications O: 512-533-6046 M: 512-659-2429 E: alvaradom@ltisdschools.org For Immediate Release March 12, 2015 Record-number Lake Travis HS visual arts students advance to state (Round Rock, TX) – Thirty Lake Travis High School (LTHS) students will have their artwork juried at the Visual Art Scholastic Event—or VASE—state competition to be held April 24-25 in Dallas. Students earned the trip to state after a successful showing at the Region 13 North VASE competition held at Cedar Ridge High School in the Round Rock school district February 21. Approximately 1,300 pieces representing 28 area schools were scored based on student interviews with a judge and quality of the artwork. Nearly one-third of the total pieces that qualified for state—33 of 107—were created by LTHS students. Overall, 171 LTHS students received Superior and Excellent ratings at the regional show. VASE is a state-wide curricular competition—one of the largest of its kind in the nation—for high school art students that gives them the opportunity to develop creative works of art and to discuss and analyze their artwork with professionals. “This is the highest number of students we’ve ever had qualify for state,” LTHS art teacher Diane Wrinkle said. “These students are to be commended for their passion, dedication and talent. Their success is a reflection of the support they receive from the LTHS art department, in particular, teachers Cha Asokan, Amber Forgey and Kristen Kyger.” LTHS students who have qualified for state include: Bo Allison Brianna Berzsenyi Brittany Bezdek Bailey Butcher Reilly Cox Kiara Dietze Jennifer Good Elisabeth Griswold Marla Haygood Alora Hess Tucker Hilgers Araceli Irus Tiffany Jegen Yumma Kamal Max Minard* Ivan Olin Kristin Ormsby April Owusu Lauren Paulson Kennan Peacock Ben Rodgers Jake Ruggerio* Catie Soo Madison Sutton Marifer Tamkin* Hannah Terry Jacquelyn Turovsky Bodile Van Oort Liam Van Oort Shania Whitehead xdenotes multiple pieces of art For more information, contact the Lake Travis ISD Office of Communications at (512) 533-6046. -30- In 1981, Lake Travis Independent School District was formed in a move to build an educational program which would better meet the needs of the students from the Lake Travis area. More than 8,800 district students are serviced by nine campuses: Lake Travis High School; Lake Travis and Hudson Bend middle schools; and Bee Cave. Lake Pointe, Lake Travis, Lakeway, Serene Hills, and West Cypress Hills elementary schools. For more information, visit www.ltisdschools.org.