Art students qualify for state competition

Five Dripping Springs High School students qualified for the state Visual Arts Scholastic Event after earning all-area recognition at the Region 13 South competition on Saturday, Feb. 25 at Pieper High School in San Antonio.

Katherine Ferno, Isabella Fletcher, Jackie Garcia, Jacob Pitts and Brooklyn Rice will represent DSHS at the state contest after earning top marks from the judges. Fletcher advances to the state competition for the second consecutive year and Ferno will make her third state appearance. In addition to the five state qualifiers, 20 DSHS students earned all-region accolades.

Each year, student pieces from DSHS are entered in the VASE regional competition, where they can receive different levels of recognition. Students present their work and defend their pieces in front of a judges' panel; entries then receive a score ranging from 1 to 4, with 4 being 'Superior.' A Superior rating is also considered to be an 'all-region' winner. From there, entries can be selected as 'all-area,' which advances them to the state competition.

State VASE will be held Saturday, April 29 at San Marcos High School.