17-year-old Oliva Ensign, who attends MCPS Visible Arts Middle Program at Albert Einstein Excessive Faculty, received the Eighth District Congressional Artwork Competitors along with her self-portrait, “The Reminiscence Quilt: Items of Myself.”
17-year-old Oliva Ensign, who attends MCPS Visible Arts Middle Program at Albert Einstein Excessive Faculty, wins the Eighth District Congressional Artwork Competitors along with her self-portrait, “The Reminiscence Quilt: Items of Myself.” Her self-portrait will probably be hold within the U.S. Capitol’s hallway between the Home and Senate chambers. (Courtesy Rep. Jamie Raskin’s 2023 Congressional Artwork Competitors Digital Gallery)
Well-known artistic endeavors, resembling John Trumbull’s portray of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, hold within the Rotunda of the U.S. Capitol; and shortly, a Maryland teenager’s self-portrait will probably be on show, as effectively.
Oliva Ensign, 17, of Silver Spring, Maryland, received the Eighth District Congressional Artwork Competitors with “The Reminiscence Quilt: Items of Myself.”
Now by means of Could 7, different college students’ artworks entered within the competitors is on the market at Vizarts in Rockville.
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Maryland Rep. Jamie Raskin introduced the winner. in an interview with WTOP, Raskin stated, “the winner’s piece, I might solely describe it as spellbinding!”
Together with Ensign’s paintings, items by 17 runners-up had been acknowledged by Raskin. “I used to be blown away by the technical ability and the inventive imaginative and prescient that the younger folks introduced” to their entries.
Ensign’s colored-pencil portrait exhibits her reaching ahead towards the viewer. The Eleventh-grader at Albert Einstein Excessive Faculty stated that gesture is her extending her hand to maturity, and her future.
“I wished to create one thing that was expressing my internal feelings about that, and likewise having power and going ahead,” Ensign stated.
Within the drawing, she is surrounded by a quilt that options koi, the decorative fish incessantly seen in Asian artwork. Ensign sees koi as an emblem of perseverance, a high quality she stated, “I really feel is absolutely wanted throughout these difficult instances, particularly for folks of my age.”
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The works of the scholars embody severe themes, and Raskin stated “one of many dynamic roles of artwork is to have the ability to specific in a profound approach, folks’s experiences, even when these experiences are troublesome.”
Raskin was requested why showcasing the work of younger artists is so necessary to him.
Raskin stated that college students who excel academically, or in athletics, are incessantly lauded, however there are a lot of youngsters who’re motivated by the humanities.
“I need to guarantee that they get their fair proportion of the limelight,” Raskin stated.
He stated that he additionally loved drawing and portray however added, with fun, “I actually by no means received any competitions.”
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Ensign thanked Raskin and her academics on the Visible Arts Middle magnet program at Einstein Excessive Faculty.
“I’ve such wonderful academics,” Ensign stated, giving a shoutout to Einstein VAC academics Sarah Harnish and Mygenet Harris.
She stated profitable and getting the prospect to have her work displayed within the U.S. Capitol was a thrill.
“It’s past phrases,” Ensign stated. “I by no means actually imagined myself on this place.”
Ensign additionally credited her dad and mom and prolonged household with supporting her love of the humanities, and she or he does intend to pursue a profession within the arts. She is aware of there are challenges in with the ability to make a dwelling with artwork, however, “It’s one thing that I actually love.”
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Requested about how she feels concerning the impression of AI on artwork, she referred to as it “a blessing and a curse.” Synthetic intelligence can render some wonderful photos, however she stated, “I’m not overly anxious, since I do know that folks nonetheless have a deep help and a love for the artwork folks create.”
Michigan State football heads out east looking to open Big Ten play with a big-time victory.
The Spartans will play at Maryland on Saturday afternoon in their first conference game of the year. Michigan State enters this matchup with a 1-0 record on the year following last week’s win over Florida Atlantic. Maryland is also 1-0 thus far on the season, picking up a blowout non-conference win over UConn last week.
Maryland enters this game as a more than touchdown favorite depending on the sports book. The Terps have won the last two meetings between these two schools.
Below are the details for Saturday’s matchup between the Spartans and Terps:
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Game time: 3:30 p.m. ET on September 7
Location: SECU Stadium (College Park, Md.)
TV: Big Ten Network
Live Stream: fuboTV (try it free)
Listen: Spartan Media Network or MSUSpartans.com
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Contact/Follow us @The SpartansWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Michigan state news, notes, and opinion. You can also follow Robert Bondy on Twitter @RobertBondy5.
Suicide is the third leading cause of death for young people between the ages of 10 and 24 in Maryland. That’s according to a new suicide prevention action plan produced through the state’s Department of Health.
Suicide is the third leading cause of death for young people between the ages of 10 and 24 in Maryland. That’s according to a new suicide prevention action plan produced through the state’s Department of Health.
Scott Poland, the director of the Office of Suicide and Violence Prevention at Nova Southeastern University College of Psychology, talked to WTOP about the action plan he authored with his wife, Donna, who is a career educator.
The “Maryland Action Plan to Prevent Suicide in K-12 Schools” serves as a reference guide to school administrators and the community, and was developed in cooperation with the state health department’s Office of Suicide Prevention.
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Poland said one thing that surprises people is that children as young as 8 years old may consider taking their own lives.
“I hear from school personnel all around the country (asking if they) have to take it seriously (if a fourth or fifth grader is talking about suicide). And the answer is absolutely yes,” Poland said.
Among the data points in the action plan is a survey of students in the “Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance Survey of 2021/2022.” According to that survey, 21% of high school students “seriously considered suicide” in the past year, and 27% of middle schoolers considered suicide at some point in their lives.
Poland said it’s important to talk about suicide with young people, and that the idea that talking about it might encourage a young person to consider suicide is a “myth.”
“When we actually bring it up, it gives someone a chance to unburden themselves, to realize that they’re not alone, that there are alternatives and that there is help available,” Poland said.
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But he said young people are most susceptible to imitating suicidal behavior: “It is important that we not glorify the suicide victim.”
Instead, Poland said, the emphasis after a suicide should be on healing those affected and helping them find appropriate ways to deal with their emotions and mental health.
The plan released this week includes providing intervention action plans for a young person who may be considering suicide.
“Part of that, of course, is removing lethal means and developing a written safety plan with them,” he said.
Poland said that can include helping people understand “the importance of calling 988, doing things that can calm themselves down,” and reaching out to the nearest trusted adult.
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People can reach the national resource for crisis response services and suicide prevention by dialing 988.
Poland said social media is “wreaking havoc” on children’s emotional well-being, often making them feel “not smart enough, not rich enough, not good enough.” Poland said he’s currently working with the state of South Dakota on developing tools to help “young people be a little more mindful and make better decisions about their screen time.”
Poland said parents can help — when it comes to the hours and hours that many people spend online — by modeling healthy amounts of screen time themselves. And he said adults need to think about how they introduce technology to their kids.
“We’re in too (much of) a hurry to give kids smartphones and 24-hour internet access,” Poland said.
“I really have to compliment Maryland,” Poland said, on coming up with the new plan.
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Poland said Maryland does not have an especially high rate of suicide, but “I think we all recognize that losing one young person to suicide is one too many.”
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