Catholic Charities Hosted Ulster County CYO Art Contest Opening Night Reception and Awards Ceremony

KINGSTON – More than 200 students from Kingston Catholic School and John A. Coleman High School displayed their creative and artistic talents at the annual Ulster County CYO Art Contest hosted by Catholic Charities of Orange, Sullivan, and Ulster. The non-profit, human service agency welcomed student artists, their art teachers, and parents to an opening night reception hosted at Catholic Charities’ Ulster Community Center in Kingston.

The artwork was submitted by students in grades one through 12 from the two schools and featured a wide variety of media including pen, pencil, pastel, oil, acrylic, watercolor, and mixed media. Contest judging was divided into six different age categories.

“Best in Show” winners were as follows:

Rory Van Loan (Kingston Catholic School) – 1^st/2^nd grade division
Keeghan Nolan (Rondout Valley Intermediate) – 3^rd/4^th grade division
Issabella Zelinsky (Kingston Catholic School) – 5^th/6^th grade division
Anna Smith (Kingston Catholic School) – 7^th/8^th grade division
Christina Lawrence (John A. Coleman HS) – 9^th/10^th grade division
DeAnna Barta (John A. Coleman HS) – 11^th/12^th grade division

The first, second, and third place winners in each division moved forward for judging at the Archdiocesan level. John A. Coleman High School student Christina Lawrence’s artwork placed third in the 9^th/10^th grade Experts Division at the Archdiocesan level of the contest.

“We are grateful to Mrs. Melissa Cascio from Kingston Catholic School and Mrs. Danielle Waz from John A. Coleman High School for their ongoing support of the annual art contest and encouraging their students’ participation,” said Walter Gaceta, Ulster County CYO Director. “The contest is a great opportunity for students from all grades to express their creativity, learn more about the wide variety of programming available through CYO, and enjoy some fun, friendly competition and fellowship,” said Gaceta.

Catholic Charities hosts the Ulster County CYO Art and Essay contest each spring.
CYO programming in Ulster County includes a wide variety of activities to provide area youth with opportunities to be active and engaged community participants. Sports programming includes basketball, volleyball, golf, and cross-country running. Additional information about CYO is available from Walter Gaceta at walter.gaceta@cccsos.org or 845.340.9170, x107.

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Cutline: (l-r) Walter Gaceta, Ulster County CYO Director, and art teachers Melissa Cascio, Kingston Catholic School, and Danielle Waz, John A. Coleman High School, show off some of the contest-winning artwork that was submitted to the annual Ulster County CYO Art Contest hosted by Catholic Charities of Orange, Sullivan, and Ulster.

Cutline 2: John A. Coleman High School student Christina Lawrence’s artwork placed third in the 9^th/10^th grade Experts Division at the Archdiocesan level of the contest.