A Lake Metropolis Excessive College senior is already making a scene of magnificence and artwork advocacy on her life’s canvas.
Jos Benak is the recipient of a $500 scholarship from the Coeur d’Alene Arts and Tradition Alliance as a part of the Jack Bannon Memorial Scholarship Fund. She was offered the funds Monday afternoon throughout a small ceremony within the college’s library.
She will not be protecting the cash to herself. It is going to be used to assist fund a pupil artwork present she is working to supply this spring, which will probably be a part of her senior venture.
“I simply actually like artwork,” Jos mentioned. “I don’t assume very a lot of my very own artwork goes to be within the present, however I’m excited to work with different artists that I’m going to highschool with and that I do know from different colleges. Particularly performers, like everyone in band.
“I additionally thought it could be a great way to finish my senior 12 months.”
She plans to succeed in throughout district strains and invite college students from across the area to take part within the present. She is particularly trying ahead to working with the Coeur d’Alene Tribe and college students who stay on the Coeur d’Alene Reservation. Though she mentioned she will not be enrolled in tribal membership, her household is from the Standing Rock Sioux Reservation in South Dakota and he or she has nice love for the Coeur d’Alene individuals.
“I very a lot determine with my indigenous tradition,” Jos mentioned. “I type of wished to share that, particularly with youngsters on the reservation. I spent quite a lot of time there. I by no means went to highschool there, however my household is from there. I really feel prefer it could possibly be nearly like a bubble typically.”
Jos additionally plans to recruit pupil musicians and to ask fancy powwow dancers to carry out at her present.
“I wished to discover a venue someplace in Coeur d’Alene to have this exhibiting for a weekend,” she mentioned. “I’m stunned how simple it was to prepare one thing like this, I all the time thought it could be onerous. I believed it was one thing adults may actually do. I’m excited.”
“You are a producer,” a smiling Ellen Travolta mentioned to her throughout the ceremony.
Travolta created the Jack Bannon Scholarship to honor her husband, Jack Bannon, who handed away 4 years in the past, and his needs to encourage, help and reward worthy college students of their quests to additional their inventive inventive passions.
“The factor that makes you so distinctive is you’re a pupil doing this,” Travolta mentioned to Jos. “Often the older individuals, or the extra mature I’d somewhat say, become involved in these sorts of issues and fundraising.”
“I’m excited,” Jos mentioned. “I’m additionally a bit nervous, however I’m extra excited than something.”
Additionally in attendance have been Coeur d’Alene Superintendent Shon Hocker, Assistant Superintendent Trent Derrick, Lake Metropolis Principal Deanne Clifford and Jos’ honors artwork instructor, Cynthia Chapman.
Hocker counseled Jos on together with this work in her senior venture.
“That is superior,” he mentioned. “The timing is impeccable, fairly frankly. We clearly love the humanities as effectively, and we’re doing every little thing we are able to to ensure they stick round for a very long time. We’ve an enormous levy vote in our neighborhood arising in simply over a month. With out these funds, issues like this artwork program are in jeopardy of not being round. So, good for you — maintain spreading that message on the market and telling individuals how necessary artwork is and the nice issues it may possibly do in the neighborhood. That may maintain these sorts of issues taking place.”
Chapman mentioned Jos is an amazingly gifted artist.
“She’s loopy inventive,” Chapman mentioned. “She is going to layer supplies and reduce stencils, she’ll put issues collectively you wouldn’t anticipate artistically {that a} pupil would put collectively.”
Jos mentioned it is due to Chapman’s artwork class that she was launched to combined media, which she actually enjoys.
“Earlier than that, I actually wouldn’t have gone exterior of ink,” Jos mentioned. “I used to be all the time interested by artwork as a toddler. Going into college, it was actually cool after I acquired to take artwork lessons. It type of simply pushed me ahead from there. And my dad’s an artist, and my mother’s all the time been supportive of it. My complete household has, so I’m fortunate for that.”
Travolta mentioned she was impressed with Jos for pondering of showcasing the abilities of her associates and friends by means of this venture. She mentioned arts programming is so necessary for younger individuals as a result of it takes them to locations of creativity, happiness and neighborhood.
“We’d like issues for youngsters — paths, decisions,” the actress mentioned. “You’re taking a ridiculous quantity of decisions away from younger individuals whenever you reduce arts applications. Theater is a neighborhood; it’s a household. Identical with any of the humanities. You meet individuals, you’ve a shared actuality. It’s wholesome.”
Jack Bannon Scholarship data: www.artsandculturecda.org
