Oak Harbor High Students Claim Nine of 15 Spots at Regional Art Show

Nine of the 15 winning entries at this year's Northwest Educational Service District 189 Regional High School Art Show came from one school: Oak Harbor High School, where drawings, paintings and clay creations outpaced submissions from dozens of schools spanning five counties.

Junior Joel Bennett led the sweep with a Best in Show award for a black-and-white pointillism portrait that, according to his artistic statement, took "hundreds of hours" to complete. Eight other Wildcats joined Bennett in the winner's circle: sophomores Miyabi Leelaphisut, Jasper Christopherson and Bella Rapp; juniors Gwen Miller, Kaitlin Cellona and McKenzie Burdick; and seniors Morgan Brawford and Sarina Randolph. The six remaining winning pieces came from students at Glacier Peak, Bellingham, Lynwood, Friday Harbor, Burlington-Edison and Snohomish high schools.

Art teacher Kit Christopherson credited the results to sustained effort rather than raw talent alone. "It's always great to see your students' best efforts qualified," he said. "Art contests are never a definitive of your students' talents, but it always feels great to have students recognized and their efforts qualified for sure."

The regional show drew 154 pieces from 117 students across NWESD 189's service area, which covers 35 school districts in Island, San Juan, Skagit, Snohomish and Whatcom counties. Jennifer Longchamps, the district's regional art show coordinator, noted the competition has run for more than 50 years and exists specifically to elevate student voices. "Recognition through exhibitions like the NWESD Regional High School Art Show helps build (students') confidence as well as pursue scholarship and future career pathway opportunities," she said.

All 15 winning pieces advance to the annual Superintendent's High School Art Show, from which the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction will select 26 works for statewide recognition.

The NWESD result extends a strong stretch for Oak Harbor's fine arts program. In May 2025, three Oak Harbor students swept the top three spots in the 2025 Congressional Art Competition for Washington state's 2nd congressional district. Junior Tessa Meyer won first place with "Swallow Your Attitude," a piece that will hang in the U.S. Capitol for one year; Lillika Taitano placed second with "An Orange-flavored Day" and Peyton Bodenhafer placed third with "Obscure." Christopherson was named as the teacher for all three Congressional winners as well.