AW Dreyfoos School of the Arts Communication Arts Department

Congratulations to Kiara Benoit and Brooke Yang, who have been selected to receive an Arts for Life! scholarship presented by former First Lady Columba Bush and the Foundation for Excellence in Education for their outstanding work in Creative Writing!

Kiara and Brooke were selected from more than 650 applicants by a panel of experts specializing in their applied art form.

In addition to receiving scholarship funds, this year’s recipients will be honored at the Arts for Life! Luncheon and Awards Ceremony on June 8, 2026 at the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts in Miami.

It is an honor to share that Communication students Charlie Bastien earned 1st place and Alice Yang earned 2nd place in the National Poetry Month Youth Summit open mic On April 25th, earning them college scholarships in recognition of their outstanding performances in spoken word and storytelling. In addition to their scholarships, both students were also awarded laptops to support their continued academic and creative journeys!

What stood out most to the judges and the festival organizers 'was not just their talent, but their ability to connect, move, and inspire an audience. That level of artistry speaks volumes about the culture of excellence and mentorship at Dreyfoos.'

Great job, and congratulations, ladies! 🎉🏆✨

Congratulations to The Marquee Yearbook for their Columbia Scholastic Press Association Gold Circle Winners - a contest recognizing superior work in high school journalism around the nation.

Yearbook Cover Design - First Place: Ava Fiala
Yearbook Personality Profile - Certificate of Merit: Bailey Arnone for "Kicking Cancer"
Yearbook Feature Photo - Certificate of Merit: Betsy Linkhorst for "Red White Blue"
Yearbook Feature Spread - Certificate of Merit: Sara Lipnitsky for "Time is Tik-ing"

Congratulations to our National Scholastic Press Association Fall Clips & Clicks contest winners:

Kiara Benoit of The Muse: Second Place in Design - Newsmagazine Cover
Vedhasa Kallam of The Muse: Third Place in Design - Newsmagazine Spread

https://studentpress.org/nspa/fall-2025-clips-clicks/

Congratulations to The Marquee yearbook staff who were once again inducted into Walsworth's Gallery of Excellence. These yearbooks are on display at the Walsworth corporate office and are mailed to yearbook programs around the country as an example of an exception yearbook.

The Dreyfoos Slam Poetry team is once again within the top four teams in the state, and this year, they will go head-to-head with Flanagan, Miramar, and Sheridan Tech to defend their title as current state champions. Please wish them luck, as they battle it out this Saturday in the Louder Than A Bomb UPS Team Finals! ✨🎉

The Palm Beach Film & TV Commission has announced their finalists for the 2026 annual Student Showcase of Films, Florida’s largest student film competition and award show, and our department has three finalists in four categories!

A record-breaking 636 submissions from 95 high schools and colleges across Florida were entered this year, demonstrating the depth of creative talent emerging from the state’s next generation of filmmakers, animators, writers, and digital storytellers. Finalists were selected by an esteemed panel of 46 industry professionals, making this year’s competition one of the most competitive in the program’s 31-year history.

Winners will be announced at the event on May 1!

SCREENWRITING FINALISTS
Ethan Malka (+Landon D'Alessandro), Alexander W. Dreyfoos School of the Arts, Encore

PALM BEACH COUNTY TOURISM PSA FINALISTS
Adam Perez, Alexander W. Dreyfoos School of the Arts, Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge Tourism PSA

ENVIRONMENTAL PSA FINALISTS
Landon D’Alessandro (+Ethan Malka), Alexander W. Dreyfoos School of the Arts, A Cleaner Future

HIGH SCHOOL FEATURE/SHORT FINALISTS
Ethan Malka, Alexander W. Dreyfoos School of the Arts, The Experiment

A huge congratulations to our very own Carly Gates for winning Florida Scholastic Press Association's 2026 Morty Shaap Journalism Teacher of the Year!

Ms. Gates was recognized for her dedication to scholastic journalism, mentorship of student storytellers, and her role as the FSPA District 7 Teacher of the Year.

The Morty Schaap Journalism Teacher of the Year recognizes outstanding FSPA advisers. Each District Teacher of the Year winner submits a portfolio and letters of recommendation. The portfolios are reviewed by a committee that includes the FSPA Board of Directors, professional journalists and members of collegiate journalism programs.

Big Congratulations to Maya Bourak, who was a runner-up in Kinolime's screenplay contest for high schoolers and will receive a $1000 production grant to make her film, Ice Cream Apocalypse, next year! ✨🎉

https://www.kinolime.com/competition/nxt

Congratulations to The Muse staff members and the DSOA Today crew for their All-Florida ranked entries in the Spring 2026 Digital Contests. Judges have selected a Best of the Best entry in each category which will be announced at the spring convention April 9-11 in Orlando.

Review Writing
Putting the Fear Back in Frankenstein - Vi Erisha

Commentary - Off Campus
The Phoenix Declaration Sets Florida Education on Fire - Cole Hoffman
The Season Should Belong to All of Us - Natalie Vidal

Campus News Story
The Magic Behind The Curtain - Cole Hoffman
Something Rotten, Something Right - Jaya Ramanujan
This is Beyond Conservative and Liberal: When Politics Become Personal - Lila Goldin
Khanmigo Enters the Chat - Liliana Kirby, Vi Erisha

Off Campus News Story
New Towers, New Stores, and New Priorities for CityPlace - London Franklin

Newsmagazine Cover
Issue 2 - Kiara Benoit

Student Profile - Written
Cultivating Leadership- Gavin Murray
Against the Tide- Vi Erisha

Photography - Feature/Student Life
Different Routes, Shared Humanity - Keegan McLendon
Dancin’ - Valentina Saenz-Daza

Feature Package - Arts and Culture
Sunshine Cinema Exhibit - Ethan Malka, Amber Ray, Monica Chirolde

News Package
West Palm Beach Police Department Blitz - Kaitlyn Maldonado & Zander Pickman