Thirty-one Blue Valley high school seniors have been nominated as finalists for the Arts Council of Johnson County’s 2023 Shooting Stars Program.
Students from the Blue Valley area represent more than a third of the 100 finalists in the local scholarship program that each year celebrates student artists and their art educators with recognition, college scholarship and teacher honorariums.
Here is a list of the Blue Valley finalists
Theatre Performance
- Lillie Barr, Blue Valley West
- Brett Oplotnik, Blue Valley Northwest
- Emma-Kate Salin, Blue Valley Southwest
- Cannon Simpson, Blue Valley High
Voice Classical
- Claire Doherty, Blue Valley Northwest
- Brynn Friesen, Blue Valley High
- Eva Girard, Blue Valley North
- Ellen Kryer, Blue Valley West
2D Visual Art
- Avery Johnsmeyer, Blue Valley Southwest
- Patty Morales, Blue Valley North
- Mich Morasch, Blue Valley High
- Lily Steinbrink, Blue Valley Northwest
3D Visual Art
- Mira Becker, Blue Valley West
- Alyssa Merry, Blue Valley High
- Molly Ramsey, Blue Valley. North
- Audrey Roberts, Blue Valley Northwest
- Hadley Tuel, Blue Valley Southwest
Strings
- Aidan Cobos, Blue Valley High
- Lisa Ji, Blue Valley West
- Kayoko Thornton, Blue Valley North
Literature
- Supriya Bolla, Blue Valley North
- Catheryn Poe, Blue Valley West
- Tess Vanderberg, Blue Valley High
Photography
- Clara Burke, Blue Valley West
- Leah Candelario, Blue Valley North
- Alex Dean, Blue Valley High
- Ava Recker, Blue Valley Southwest
- Sophia Volovoy, Blue Valley Northwest
Winds & Percussion
- Trey Krizek, Blue Valley West
- Jack MeNeil, Blue Valley Southwest
- Oliver Zhang, Blue Valley North
Winners will be announced in early April
- ACJC is set to host its 25th annual Shooting Stars Gala at Johnson County Community College on Sunday, April 2.
- The scholarship recipients, which are being awarded for their excellence in literary, performing and visual arts, will be announced at the event.
- Arts teachers from schools across Johnson County are able to nominate two students per year for the scholarship program.
- Finalists audition or submit a portfolio to be reviewed by independent judges.
Eighteen scholarships will be awarded
- Nine first place Shooting Stars will receive a $1,400 scholarships each, and nine second place Stars are set to receive a $700 scholarship.
- An additional nine teacher honorariums of $300 each are also going to be presented at the gala.
- Shooting Stars’ scholarships, awards and teacher honorariums are funded by private donations from corporations, foundations and individuals, according to ACJC.
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