Rockwall ISD middle school artists earn top honors at Junior VASE

Rockwall ISD middle school artists turned in a standout showing at the 2026 Texas Art Education Association Junior Visual Art Scholastic Event, with eight students earning Platinum Medals and 70 more posting Superior ratings. Because Platinum is reserved for the top 10 percent of works that receive a Rating 4, the result put Rockwall’s students in the smallest tier of regional recognition.

The district named the Platinum Medalists as Karen Almanza Leon, Sebastian Gonzalez, David Limones, Ariella Fortygin, William Liam Goff, Isabella Hettler, Brynn Krantz and Abrielle Torres. Rockwall ISD said the honorees came from Rakow Middle School and Cain Middle School, a sign that the arts strength is spread across more than one campus rather than concentrated in a single program.

Junior VASE is designed to recognize exemplary student achievement in the visual arts, and the competition goes beyond a finished piece on display. Students are interviewed by certified judges, who assess both technical quality and the artist’s ability to explain the creative process using a regional rubric. Each entry carries a $15 fee, and all students and their artwork travel to the regional event, which is set each year by the regional director.

That structure makes Rockwall ISD’s numbers more significant than a simple trophy count. A Superior rating is the gateway to medals, and Rockwall’s 70 Rating 4 results show depth across the middle school program, not just one or two standout submissions. The district thanked its art teachers for the long hours of instruction, coaching and encouragement that go into producing work at this level.

The results also point to a larger pipeline for families watching the district’s fine arts programs. Rockwall ISD says visual arts begin in kindergarten and continue through high school, and middle school students can choose visual arts as one of their fine arts courses. That pathway has already produced broader success at the secondary level, including 15 Rockwall High School and Rockwall-Heath High School students qualifying for the VASE state competition. In that context, the Junior VASE medals look less like an isolated win and more like evidence that Rockwall County students are building serious arts credentials early and carrying them forward.