Schools

Scholarship Winners Showcase Their Finest Work

There was an opening ceremony for an exhibiting featuring the work of five local high school seniors at Nicholas F. Rizzo Fine Arts in Chatham.

For five high school seniors whose art is being featured at Nicholas F. Rizzo Fine Arts in Chatham during June, it feels good to feel distinguished.

Chatham High School's Rebecca Mah, Summit High School's Garrett Benisch, Millburn High School's Anna Goldstein, Madison High School's Olivia Moore and New Providence High School's Elmar Fujita each were selected by their respective high schools for scholarships from Rizzo Fine Arts.

The students' art is also being featured in the Rizzo Fine Arts gallery throughout the month, and an opening reception was held Tuesday to mark the occasion.

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"It's nice to kind of have something professional [while] at the high school level," Summit High School senior Garrett Bensich said as he stood in the Rizzo building during the reception, surrounded by paintings completed by his peers. His own paintings were across the way and featured a guitar player and other personal depictions.

The Rizzo scholarship program has been in existence for five years. Owners Brenda and Nicholas Rizzo started the program to celebrate their 25th year in business.

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Brenda Rizzo said each of the winners said their teachers had insipired them to do their very best.

"Our teachers had a lot to do with these students choosing their own career path," Rizzo said at the reception. "For some students it really gives them a direction for a lifelong passion they pursue."

Each of the winners said they were thrilled when they found out they had won. After all, Goldstein said, it is "our first show in our student careers."

"And hopefully not the last," Benisch added.


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