Creativity was in full bloom on Storm King Mountain recently as The Storm King School enjoyed its annual Spring Arts Weekend. Each year, the weekend proves to be a vibrant showcase of student talent across multiple disciplines, from visual arts to poetry, celebrating the culmination of a year’s hard work and imagination.

The festivities kicked off Friday evening with the 2025 Student Art Show and arts awards presentation held in Ogden Hall. Families, faculty, and fellow students gathered to view a diverse and colorful collection of work from all SKS art classes. The show offered a window to the wide range of artistic expression flourishing on campus—from traditional painting, drawing, and ceramics to digital and mixed media works. The evening also featured the Spring Fashion Show, where designers in Ms. Liggett’s fashion class showed off their original creations. Student models turned Ogden Hall into a runway, walking through the exhibit space and bringing each fashion concept to life with grace and flair.

Visual Arts Chair John Carruthers announced the recipients of this year’s art awards, recognizing students for excellence in their respective categories. Jenny C. ’27 was honored in painting for her diptych watercolor “My Family,” which portrayed her family as Chinese zodiac animals. Joya Y. ’26 received recognition in digital art for “Into the Future.” Keiyona J. ’26 was awarded in ceramics for her sculptural piece “Flower Bowl,” while Ren T. ’26 won in mixed media for “Mechanical Whale,” an imaginative ink and watercolor piece. Coco P. ’25 earned the Most Creative award for “My Menagerie,” a multimedia presentation combining animation, drawing, and ceramic characters. Eva G. ’26 received Best in Show for her striking dual “Still Life” images.

Saturday evening highlighted the literary arts at the Ninth Annual Storm King School Poetry Festival & Contest, hosted in the Walter Reade Jr. Theatre. This year’s poetry contest received over 200 submissions from 23 independent schools across the Hudson Valley and Northeast. From these, 20 finalist poems were selected to be read at the Festival, representing a variety of voices and poetic forms. Students competed in both an open category and a special sonnet category.

English Department Chair Dr. Alexandra Finn-Atkins welcomed the audience and the poets, noting how their poetry reflected themes of identity, belonging, and love. Storm King seniors Nyla A. ’25 and Emily K. ’25 introduced the festival’s esteemed judges: poets Joanna Solfrian, now in her fifth year judging the festival, and Zoe Ryder White, in her third. Both judges read selected poems aloud, offering thoughtful feedback to each young writer.

The evening also included a special Interlude where SKS senior Andrea L. ’25 honored her grandfather, Carlos Lopez Moctezuma, by reading an English translation of his poem “I Don’t Know Where the Dead Go.” Faculty member Cindy Gue-Waugh shared her original poem “For How Long” as part of the faculty spotlight and the winner of the Sonnet category was Keiyona J. ’26 for her expressive poem “A Winter’s Day.”

To conclude the Festival, three standout poems were also recognized: “Home” by Lyle M. of The Calhoun School, “Night, Night, Bet I Never” by Smiley Yuexin N. of Hamden Hall Country Day School, and “Siphonophorae(i)” by Isabella W. of the Pomfret School. Dr. Finn-Atkins topped off the event by expressing gratitude to the poets, judges, faculty, and organizers who brought the festival to life.

Once again, Storm King’s Spring Arts Weekend showcased the work of our talented students and the School’s commitment to nurturing artistic excellence in all its forms. As the weekend came to a close, it left behind more than just applause and awards—it stood as a lasting celebration of student voice, expression, and the thriving culture of creativity that defines The Storm King School.