Two Bartlesville High School seniors are among 132 Oklahoma students being honored with an Arts Excellence Award. Eric Mashburn is being recognized for instrumental music, and Nicholas Platon for instrumental music and piano.
Every spring, students from across Oklahoma receive special recognition at the Oklahoma Education Awards for Arts Excellence. The 33rd annual event, hosted by the Oklahoma Alliance for Arts Education, Oklahoma State Department of Education, Oklahoma Arts Council, and Masonic Fraternity of Oklahoma, will be held on April 18 at 7 p.m. at the Masonic Temple in Guthrie.
High school juniors and seniors will be recognized individually in the ceremony for their remarkable talents and will receive awards in dance, drama/theatre, instrumental music, piano, visual arts and vocal music. Teachers and administrators will also be honored for their leadership and support of quality arts education and academic excellence in Oklahoma schools.
“This award is the highest accolade by the State of Oklahoma honoring students, teachers and administrators who exemplify arts excellence.” said Dr. Isolete De Almeida, Chair of the Oklahoma Alliance for Arts Education. “The award brings the disciplines of music, dance, theater and visual arts together, showing these recipients that their hard work, passion, creativity and expression are valued components of our communities and culture. A well known art educator, Elliot Eisner, once said that the arts teach 10 very important life lessons. Among those lessons is the lesson to see different perspectives, to make good judgements, and change according to difficulties. We celebrate these skills as we recognize students who are excelling in the arts.”