Viewpoint students win at art, writing

EMERGING ARTISTS—Star Sage and Jordan Sitzer, both winners of the National Scholastic Art and Writing Awards, were honored at Carnegie Hall last month. Star Sage and Jordan Sitzer, students at Viewpoint School in Calabasas, were winners of the 2009 National Scholastic Art and Writing Awards from the Alliance for Young Artists and Writers.

The students and their families traveled to Carnegie Hall in New York City on June 4 to receive their awards.

Star, who will be a senior next year, won a gold medal for her photograph "Mr. and Mr.," an image that was part of a portfolio assignment on global issues. Her piece was part of a series on civil rights in general and gay rights in particular.

"I have family members who are gay, so the controversy around this topic is something that is important to me," Star said. "Just two beings of the same sex holding hands alone can be uncomfortable for some people, but with a rosary wrapped around the hands, (it) makes it even more uncomfortable."

STAR SITZER/Special to The Acorn Viewpoint's photography teacher, Charles Sitzer, who is also Jordan's father, called Star's photograph "emblematic."

Jordan Sitzer, an eighthgrader, won a silver medal for "A Place and Time," a poem about segregation in the South in the early 1900s.

"It was taken from the antisegregation stance," Jordan said.

The poem points to the hypocrisy of "polite women" and "God fearing men" who deny rights to people based solely on the color of their skin. Following is an excerpt: A place and time where one views Another's race as alien Stripping him of his rights Don't allow him to attend your schools Don't allow him to live near you Don't allow him to speak to your Women A living Breathing Loving and Hating Human Stick him in some dilapidated shack And still call your country the Land of the Free Stand by your Declaration And read the verse that states all men are free and Equal

Jordan, who has been writing poetry since second grade, said he got the idea for the poem after reading "To Kill a Mockingbird" by Harper Lee. Viewpoint's middle school English teacher Shawn Birch assigned a poetry homework assignment that summarized key issues in the book.

Poetry, said Jordan, is "a window to look into the faults and strengths of people and society. It allows you took look into it and view it in a critical sense."

Burch called Jordan "imaginative and observant of the world around him," adding that he was a "young writer with stories to tell."

"This poem, 'A Place and Time,' was written as a portrayal of a dark time in our nation's history that tested the very principles that this country was founded upon," Birch said.

Among the 1,173 regional gold medal-winning photographs, the Alliance's panel of judges chose 15 to receive the national medal. Star's photo was one of the 15 and one of four from California. Jordan was one of 11 California middle school students to win a silver medal out of the 1,100 regional winners that were submitted for judging.

Star's photograph was on display with the other National Gold Medal-winning artwork at the National Student Art Exhibition at the World Monument Fund Gallery in New York City from June 3 through 24.

"As a parent there are times when you feel like your heart is going to burst out of your chest," said Star 's mother, Cheryl Sage. "And this was one of them."

The artwork featured at Carnegie Hall was inspirational, said Sage. The young artists "are the creative future of America," she said, adding it was wonderful to witness her daughter having such an "empowering" moment.

Sitzer had the pleasure of having one of his students in the limelight as well as his son.

"I'm so very proud of Star and her accomplishment and that her family could be there to share in the ceremony," Sitzer said. "I am also so proud and touched that my son, Jordan, was recognized for his writing and that it could be shared with his grandparents."

He credited Burch for encouraging her students to learn the "beauty of poetry."

"The evening could not have been more perfect for everyone," Sitzer said.