YISS wants to recognize and celebrate the talent and hard work of our students who excel in activities and competitions that take place at a high level both inside and outside of school. As the first edition of our monthly Guardian Roundup, we are thrilled to highlight the following students and their recent accomplishments:

JooA L. in 4th grade won third place, an Excellence Award, in the elementary level at the Korea Art Promotion Association 72nd Art Competition.

Austin Z. in 2nd grade won the first prize for his age and group with a score of 9.73 in a Chinese national online accordion competition, The 2nd Baidi Cup (2022) Online Accordion Competition. To win first place, Austin had to score higher than over 200 players in his group.

Gerrard O. in 4th grade competed in an international art contest called ‘Sketch for Survival’ where drawings from all over the world were sent to Explorers Against Extinction, an organization that works to fight against the extinction of endangered species and restore ecosystems. Gerrard was selected as one of 100 junior finalists this year, meaning his drawing will be exhibited during their UK tour happening in Norwich, Edinburgh, and London.

Prayaag P. in 6th grade participate in a painting competition organized by Swami Vivekananda Cultural Centre, Embassy of India. The theme was "My Family," where students submitted a painting and a small write-up to the embassy. Prayaag won first prize in the age group of 9-13 year-olds.

Maya L. in 8th grade launched her first NFT collection on a digital marketplace which set in motion her social impact project of selling digital art and donating proceeds to causes and charities close to her heart. Through an art space, Maya met Jess, an artist with down syndrome, and began a beautiful friendship that led to co-creating artwork and encouraging each other creatively. Maya learned October was Down Syndrome Awareness month and was moved to create "Better Together," an artwork inspired by this year's school theme. On her digital marketplace, 100% of proceeds from the sales of this artwork will be donated to the National Down Syndrome Society. 

If you know of a student who has recently been recognized for excellence in a special activity or competition outside of school, you can nominate them for next month's roundup usingthis form (yis.to/student-news).