Mr. Kaplan recently led the biannual arts awards ceremony, in which students were recognized for achievement in art classes taken during the first semester. He urged all boys to try a new art during their time at Belmont Hill, referencing a famous Kurt Vonnegut quote: “practicing an art, no matter how well or badly, is a way to make your soul grow.” The presentation began with a shoutout to Daniel Xie ‘24 for his self-portrait, which won a gold key in the Boston Globe Scholastic Art Competition.
Many of the awards given were similar to previous years; however, a new Form I Perspective Drawing category was added, giving an opportunity for First Formers to be recognized for artistic achievement. Harvey Rupp ‘21, Belmont Hill’s ASSIST Scholar from Australia, received the Best in Show category for his magnificent work in ceramics. Harvey said that he was “really happy to see that [he] had won the awards, particularly the ‘Best in Show’ for [his] tea set,” and that he “did not know until close to the day that there would be awards presented for the arts and so [he] was pleasantly surprised on the day.”
The way the arts awards are presented leaves everyone waiting and anxious to hear the results until the final day as they are not announced before the school meeting. Harvey experienced that “the community feel around the art studio in itself is really positive and welcoming, which I feel is a good incentive to take an art class in and of itself” and recommends everyone to take an art class. Art at Belmont Hill has also allowed Harvey to develop his creativity and freedom to pursue his interests while also developing a sense of community rather than art being a solitary hobby.
