Four Mercersburg Academy students received accolades in the National Scholastic Art and Writing Awards competition, which is part of the nation’s longest-running, most prestigious recognition program for creative teens. Christine Jiang ’26 and Alice Morgan ’26 earned Gold Medals in the categories of poetry and photography, respectively, and Asami Puff ’26 and Olivia Glick ’25 achieved Silver Medals in the categories of critical essay and journalism, respectively. Jiang also earned an American Voices Award–she was one of only five out of 1,100 entries across eight Pennsylvania counties to earn that distinction, and of those five, a panel of national judges chose hers as the best.

In addition to this national attention, a total of 31 Mercersburg students were honored in the 2025 South Central Pennsylvania Scholastic Art and Writing Awards competition. All recipients are listed below.

“We are incredibly proud of our students for sharing their creative works through participation in the Scholastic Art and Writing Awards,” said Michele Poacelli P ’24, ’26. “The contest becomes more and more competitive each year, and Mercersburg students continue to shine, reflecting the strength of their talent and dedication to the arts.”

High school writers and artists from around the nation submit their work to regional competitions. The work is juried and students can be awarded an American Vision, Gold Key, Silver Key, or Honorable Mention. American Vision and Gold Key awards automatically move on to the national competition.

This awards program was founded in 1923. Last year, 35 Mercersburg students were recognized in the 2023 South Central Pennsylvania Scholastic Art and Writing Awards. 

Literary

• Abhi Attili ’25 
• Bauhinia Chen ’26
• Jessica Dang ’26
• Sean Flaherty ’26
• Elise Gao ’26    
• Olivia Glick ’25 
• Audrey Hua ’26
• Susanna Huang ’27
• Philipp Hoyer ’26
• Christine Jiang ’26
• Ian Kim ’27
• William Jae Hu Lee ’26
• Masha Levina ’25
• Kelsey Li ’26
• William Luo ’27
• Get Poolvoraluk ’25
• Asami Puff ’26
• Prin Sairungsri ’27
• William Shen ’27
•  Anderson Wang ’27
• Lisa Wei ’26
• Frederick Wu ’26
• Brie Wyant ’26
• Alice Yoo ’27 
• Paris Zhang ’27

Visual Art 

• Bauhinia Chen ’26
• Lilly Killinger ’26
• Yule Kwon ’26
• Alice Morgan ’26
• Anne Sehon ’25
• Lareina Wang ’26

Pictured above: Morgan’s award-winning photograph “Metamorphosis”