By Sadie Busch and Rachel Ross
National Art Honors Society is a program to present strong artists here in the school. Batavia High School students take great gratification in their art and put in lots of effort to finish a piece according to the high school art teachers. Students like Abby McReynolds, JJ Martinez, and Anthony Guido are all students at the high school involved in NAHS who said that they are prideful of their artwork. Batavia High School takes pride in accomplishing and publishing art pieces for many of the artists at the school. NAHS is a program to help young artists be recognized and rewarded in the creation of art.
Take sophomore Abby McReynolds for example, who has been involved with NAHS.
“I was very proud when I got accepted, so I would say it is a big accomplishment of mine,” McReynolds said. “I love NAHS because it gives you a lot of opportunities to be a part of your community and being art related you get to use your creativity within it!”
Anthony Guido, a junior at BHS, also talked about his personal achievements, even though NAHS is one of the biggest accomplishments for young and thriving artists like him.
“My biggest achievement in art is when I realized my ability to master and manipulate materials I did not think I could work with before,” Guido confidently said. “It moved my mindset to a higher place knowing I could work with different things and try new things.”
McReynolds separately talked about her biggest supporters and how they influence her pride in art.
“My biggest supports are my parents,” McReynolds said, smiling. “They both have jobs in the art field and really helped me pursue my career in art. They have exposed me to many things revolving around art since I was young.”
JJ Martinez, a senior at Batavia High School, with pride in his voice, also talked about his biggest supporters and the achievements he’s made in art.
“My two biggest supporters would have to be my mom and art teacher, Mrs. (Jennifer) Melendez,” Martinez said. “My mom always supports me in any decision I make and she always pushes me to be who I am and to express that person. Mrs. Melendez does this and also so much more. She was actually the one who came to me telling me about the Scholastic Art Award show. Had it not been for her, I would’ve never known about the show and never submitted my piece. I received an honorable mention. It’s a national show, so there were a lot of submissions.”
Being a part of this program “takes dedication and patience and not only does it include your academic talent but also your artistic achievements,” Melendez said.
She recently had Martinez, another art enthusiast, as a student and talked fondly of him.
“I feel as though art has given JJ a platform to express himself in a healthy and creative format,” Melendez said. “When I met him three years ago, he was a confident and strong person but now I can see that he is even more comfortable in his own skin.”
Melendez also talked about how she saw Martinez struggle just like anybody else.
“Just like any artist, JJ has struggled with creating art,” Melendez said. Just like every student, “Every artist comes across difficulties, but what I admire most is his perseverance. He doesn’t let his struggles deter him. He is able to come up with a solution or a new way to fix it and overcomes his roadblocks.”
“Art has helped me see the beauty in everything, even beyond the limits of visual items,” said Martinez. “Art is an expression in any media. Art is in writing and music and social media. Some people portray themselves differently in social media to achieve an artistic idea or vision. Taking everything in as a different form of art reminds me to be nicer to people, because everyone is just looking for expression and voice, and no matter what that may be, you should always support the expression of the individual.”
JJ also talked about the emotional escape art offers for him.
“My favorite times to draw are times I feel something I can’t describe, so I describe it visually,” said Martinez. “I love to think of an emotion and try to show that through a drawing or visual.”
These three young artists all have different, abstract ideas, but yet all share the same love for art.
“Art is so much more than a hobby,” Melendez firmly said. “It is seen as a way of life. Some people wake up and think about art and go to sleep thinking about art.”
These artists take so much pride in their artwork. NAHS is a good representation for them to show off their artwork. The finished product of their artwork is rewarding, it’s NAHS that is here to help highlight that.