NEW YORK, N.Y. — Washington College-bound Casey Johnson of Chester Harbor is the winner of a Scholastic National Silver Medal and a New York Life Award in the ceramic and glass category for her work titled “Vulnerability.”
Presented by the Alliance for Young Artists & Writers, the Scholastic Art and Writing Awards competition is the longest-running and most prestigious recognition program for creative teens, celebrating students with exceptional artistic and literary talents.
The daughter of Carla Schauber and the late Kenny Johnson Jr., Casey is a 2025 graduate of Queen Anne’s County High School.
She is the first-ever Queen Anne’s County Public Schools student to earn both a Scholastic National Silver Medal and a New York Life Award.
Underwritten by the New York Life Foundation, the New York Life Award offers $2,500 scholarships/travel stipends to teens whose works explore death and personal grief. Only five visual artists nationally are recognized each year.
Casey, now 18, described her national award-winning work as a piece about being vulnerable and opening up about the grief surrounding her father’s death in 2018.
“After sculpting a bowl, I attached thirty-two handmade petals. The number 32 was my dad’s lucky number throughout his life, and my family uses that number as a symbol for his memory, so that is why I used it in this piece,” Casey said in a news release.
She added, “The petals represent peeling back the layers and blossoming growth, the skull in the middle represents the death of my father and my previously suppressed emotions surrounding grief. I created a contrast with the petals’ bright color and the achromatic skull to show how someone seemingly happy on the outside can be hiding pain on the inside.”
“Art gives voice when words are hard to say,” one of Casey’s teachers shared, noting how she has consistently channeled life experiences into meaningful creative work.
Remarkably, every piece Casey has submitted over the past two years has earned either a regional or national Scholastic Award.
This year’s ceremony on June 11 at Carnegie Hall, featuring keynote speaker Tracy Morgan, brought together student artists and writers from across the nation.
“The National Ceremony was truly an unforgettable night that made me feel extremely celebrated but also inspired to embrace creativity as much as possible,” Casey said in a news release. “It felt magical to be surrounded by so many artists my same age, united by the love we share for creating. I’m honored to have been a part of this once‑in‑a‑lifetime experience.”
Michael Bell, supervisor of visual and performing arts for Queen Anne’s County Public Schools, pointed out that Casey is among the less than 1 percent of student artists nationwide who have been awarded a National Scholastic Medal.
“To see her shine on a stage like Carnegie Hall, with her art resonating so deeply, is truly something special,” Bell said of Casey.
Also celebrating the moment was Stephanie Zeiler, QACHS’ visual arts department coordinator and lead visual arts teacher.
“As an educator, it brings my heart so much joy to see one of my students celebrated on such a big stage,” Zeiler said in the news release. “Casey has been part of several of my 3D and 2D courses, and to see her efforts recognized on the national level, having the opportunity to shine so bright, is such a highlight.”
Casey graduated from Queen Anne’s County High School with a weighted cumulative grade point average of 4.21. She was a member of the National Honor Society and Science National Honor Society, president of the National Art Honor Society and vice president of the Environmental Club.
She will attend Washington College as a recipient of a Presidential Fellows Scholarship. She plans to major in environmental science and minor in art.
