Artists Earn National Acclaim

Throughout the school year, St. Mark’s student-artists have produced outstanding work that showcases their talent, creativity, and curiosity. Now, that work is earning state-level and national acclaim.  

The Association of Texas Photography Instructors (ATPI) named St. Mark’s as the “Top Program” for the sixteenth time since 2007. This competition requires schools to produce four ten-image portfolios. This year, St. Mark’s won first place for each portfolio entry, with submissions in portrait, landscape/nature, commercial/advertising, and thematic categories. 

ATPI also named Asher Ridzinski ’27, Leo Hughes ’27, and Terrence Cao ’28 as “Texas Imagemakers,” a distinction given to just 10 high school photographers statewide. This was based upon point values for various state, regional, national, and international photography competitions.  

While reflecting on the lessons he has learned through photography, Cao said, “Photography is a catalyst for storytelling. I now see the world in a completely different way. I am now more curious and ask more questions just because I have realized most things aren't what they seem on the outside, but there is an even deeper story behind it.” 

Additionally, Cao and Ridzinski joined Dhilan Saluja ’30 in winning Gold Medals in the Scholastic Art and Writing Competition. This national competition receives more than 340,000 submissions annually and awards Gold Medals to only the top .02% of student-artists. Cao and Ridzinski were recognized for their photography, while Saluja earned his medal in poetry.  

“Week after week in photography class, we have different assignments that require us to think in creative and different ways,” said Ridzinski. “The most valuable lesson I've learned is that failure is necessary to succeed and that experimenting can lead to unexpected results.” 

Hughes spoke about the high expectations and steady encouragement of his teacher, Scott Hunt, St. Mark's photography director and Tony Vincent Fine Arts Department Chair: “Mr. Hunt presents us with challenging assignments that we might not understand at first, forcing us to step outside of our comfort zone and try new things.”