Winners Of Fairfield Art Contests Announced By Rep. Leeper

From the Connecticut House Democrats Office:

FAIRFIELD, CT — Rep. Jennifer Leeper, D-132, has announced three winners for both her high school and middle school Fairfield art contests.

Middle school winners

• Honorable Mention: Isabelle Liang
• First Place: Brooke Dougherty
• Second Place: Arina Toropova
• Third Place: Natalie Hittelman

High school winners

• First Place: Beatrix Schiever and Sofia Destaso
• Second Place: Heidi Atkins and Mira Bakshi
• Third Place: Juliette Boots

“I want to thank each of our contestants for all of the hard work and creativity they poured into their submissions. This contest demonstrated both how incredibly talented our Fairfield students are, and how many beautiful and memorable locations we have in our town,” Leeper said. “I hope the students felt that these art contests gave them the opportunity to explore our historical and natural landmarks in a new light.”

The top three pieces from each contest have received an official Connecticut General Assembly citation and their works will be displayed in Leeper's office at the State Capitol.

The middle school contest prompted students to observe a natural or historical Fairfield landmark; and the high school contest asked students to investigate sustainability within the Fairfield community.

The first-place winners of the high school contest, Beatrix Schiever and Sofia Destaso, won for their documentary film detailing Long Island Sound preservation efforts in Fairfield. The film featured interviews with an environmentalist, teacher, legislator and professional from the Aqua Magnetic school. The second-place winners, Heidi Atkins and Mira Bakshi, sculpted a piece using branches and plastic bottles to symbolize the damage of single-use plastic in the Fairfield ecosystem. The third-place winner, Juliette Boots, created a graphic piece that illustrates diverse individuals from the community coming together to recycle and clean up the town green near the gazebo.

The first-place winner of the middle school contest, Brooke Dougherty, portrayed a stunning and detailed drawing of Fairfield’s newly renovated Community Theatre. The second-place winner of the middle school contest, Arina Toropova, captured Fairfield’s natural beauty through her drawing of the falls at Lake Mohegan. The third-place winner of the middle school contest, Natalie Hittelman, illustrated the intersection between Fairfield’s natural beauty and architecture by featuring cottages on Penfield Beach. Isabelle Liang was awarded an honorable mention for her mixed-media piece depicting the Sherman Green Gazebo surrounded by embroidered leaves for its exquisite needlework, and exceptional drawing.