Skip To Main Content

sticky-container

search-container

header-container

top-container

header-nav

search-container

trigger-container

Landing Nav

BREADCRUMB

FAITH, INTERNATIONAL BACCALAUREATE AND THE ARTS

Share this article with a friend.

March 5, 2023

For information on enrollment and registration at Notre Dame, an independent, Catholic, International Baccalaureate school, please visit the admissions section of our website here.

International Baccalaureate student and multi-creative award winner Madeline Lawrence looks to take her fulfilling Notre Dame Prep experience to prestigious arts college in Georgia.

Notre Dame Prep senior Madeline Lawrence is with her award-winning artwork, which was displayed last month at Detroit's College for Creative Studies.


The Scholastic Art and Writing Awards have an impressive legacy dating back to 1923. Over the years, the awards have grown to become the longest-running, most prestigious program for creative teens in the U.S., and the nation’s largest source of scholarships for creative young artists and writers. A noteworthy roster of past winners includes Andy Warhol, Sylvia Plath, Truman Capote, Richard Avedon, Robert Redford, Joyce Carol Oates, Stephen King and John Updike.

Add to that roster Notre Dame Prep senior Madeline Lawrence who says she's very grateful that four of the five visual art pieces she submitted this year were honored by Scholastic. Last year, as a junior, she also earned an award in the annual competition.

"I was surprised I received so many, but excited to have all but one of the works I submitted win an award," she said. "I remember seeing my older sister's work from her IB art class displayed at the College for Creative Studies when she received Scholastic awards at NDP. Since then it's been my goal to achieve that, too."

The Scholastic awards process begins across the country as young artists and writers in grades 7-12 submit work in 29 categories of art and writing to a network of regional affiliates who present award ceremonies and exhibits for selected works on a local level. Gold Keys, the highest awards, are then submitted from each region for national adjudication by luminaries in the visual and literary arts, some of whom are past award recipients. 

Lawrence won a Gold Key in mixed media for "Free Mind" in this year's Scholastic Art and Writing Awards competition for the Southeastern Michigan region. 


National Gold and Silver Medal winning students and their teachers receive national recognition, and typically are invited to attend the exhibit in New York and award ceremony at Carnegie Hall.

Lawrence, who's been a Notre Dame Prep student since third grade, received a Gold Key, a Silver Key and two honorable mentions in this year's Scholastic awards program. And while visual art is an obvious strength for her, it's by no means her only creative outlet.

"All forms of art, whether it's visual, dramatic, musical or writing, always have been a priority for me," she said. "At Notre Dame Prep, I've tried to fill my schedule with as many classes in the arts as possible."

She said that occasionally she would opt out of a visual art course or choir so that she could take band and theatre, but her sketchbook was always close at hand. 

"I constantly carried a notebook around so that I could write or sketch ideas for stories or artwork," she said. "I also spent countless hours after school and on weekends rehearsing for both in-school and out-of-school shows, and this year I was able to student-direct the middle school's production of Shrek Jr."

Additionally, Lawrence is a regular member of NDP's Praise and Worship choir and this semester became the vocalist for the jazz band. 

Lawrence, right, with fellow musician Alexandria Hunter, is a charter member of the Notre Dame Prep marching band.


"I think that art pretty much makes up almost all of what I do," she said. "I like to take ideas in my mind and transfer them across as many mediums as possible."

Where Lawrence will be transferring her ideas next fall has not been finalized, but she has her druthers. 

"My top choice is the Savannah College of Art and Design, which I just visited a few weeks ago and absolutely loved their programs and campus. I am looking to major in performing arts and double minor in film/television and dramatic writing."

If or when she heads to Georgia for college at SCAD, which offered her a scholarship, Lawrence insists Notre Dame Prep will not be forgotten. 

"I have had so many wonderful teachers who have encouraged me to use my creativity and interests to go the extra mile," she said. "As an IB student, I have enjoyed the many in-depth discussions with my classmates and being able to write about topics that both fit in with and go beyond course curricula. I have met so many friends, I'm really never alone in any class, lunch or extracurricular activity."

Lawrence also holds close her faith experience at NDP.

"I've always connected with my faith the strongest through song, which is why I'm very thankful for the opportunity to plan out and perform at our all-school Masses."

Lawrence played a "silly girl" in Beauty and the Beast in seventh grade.

For information on enrollment and registration at Notre Dame, an independent, Catholic, International Baccalaureate school, please visit the admissions section of our website here.

Comments or questions? mkelly@ndpma.org

Follow Notre Dame on Twitter at @NDPMA.

About Notre Dame Preparatory School and Marist Academy
Notre Dame Preparatory School and Marist Academy is a private, Catholic, independent, coeducational day school located in Oakland County. Notre Dame Preparatory School enrolls students in grades nine through twelve and has been named one of the nation's best 50 Catholic high schools (Acton Institute) four times since 2005. Notre Dame's middle and lower schools enroll students in pre-kindergarten through grade eight. All three schools are International Baccalaureate "World Schools." NDPMA is conducted by the Marist Fathers and Brothers and is accredited by the Independent Schools Association of the Central States and the National Association of Independent Schools. For more on Notre Dame Preparatory School and Marist Academy, visit the school’s home page at www.ndpma.org.