Pictured: Bob Fuller, Past President Starkville Rotary Club; Dr. Watress Harris, SHS Principal; Sachiko Clay, SHS 11th grade student artist; Andrew Lark, SHS Art instructor; Willie McGee, SHS 11th grade student artist
At the September 30 meeting, Starkville Rotary Club honored Starkville High School Art Teacher, Andrew Lark as Teacher of the Month. As part of the recognition program, Lark selected two outstanding SHS students to be honored. Starkville High juniors Sachiko Clay and Willie McGee were chosen as Rotary Students of the Month.
Nestled between the east parking lot and the main Starkville High building, the White House Studio has long been a hub of creativity and vibrant artistic talent on campus as Andrew Lark, the district's veteran art instructor, leads students through an exploration of artistic media and methods from drawing and sculpture to photography and fashion design.
Lark is an award-winning art instructor who has earned statewide and national honors. He has been named Starkville School District Teacher of the Year, MS 3rd Congressional District Teacher of the Year and Mississippi Teacher of the Year. He is the recipient of the Rotary International Dr. Merrill Hawkins Excellence in Education Award and is a member of the Starkville Area Education Hall of Fame.
Students often credit Mr. Lark's teaching methods, both in and outside their regular class time, with helping them to hone their vision and voice. The rigorous exploration of artistic methods has become a way of finding themselves and growing confidence in their own skills.
In choosing Sachiko Clay and Willie McGee as Students of the Month, Lark says he is highlighting two true ambassadors for the visual arts who have excelled in their chosen media at the state, national and even international level.
Last December, Sachiko was named one of only eleven finalist worldwide for the 2023 International Travelers Photography competition in which her entries showcased her artistic eye as she traveled with her family to their native Japan. She has also been honored with First Place in the Mississippi Congressional Art Competition and two Silver Medals in the Mississippi Scholastic Art Competition. This summer, Sachiko was awarded Overall Best of Show in the prestigious National BETA Art Competition in Savannah, GA for her white charcoal piece entitled "Dear Grandpa".
Sachiko says she has enjoyed and benefitted from the mentorship of Mr. Lark provides. "Thanks to Mr. Lark, I am learning the professional side of both photography and art," Sachi said. "Without this program, I would have never have been able to do a fraction of what I am doing today."
Similarly, Willie McGee has excelled under Lark's instruction as he has honed his artistic vision. This summer, Willie earned Second Place in the National BETA Art Competition for his color photograph entitled "God, Yes". He also received First Place at the Mississippi BETA Competition, as well as Gold and Silver medals in the Mississippi Scholastic Art Competition.
Under the direction of Mr. Lark, the Starkville High School fine arts program has established a tradition of excellence, with students garnering numerous awards each year. Students have earned twelve Overall Best of Show National Congressional Art competition honors, which have allowed them to exhibit in the US Capital for the past 12 consecutive years. During Mr. Lark's tenure, SHS students have also been awarded over 550 state Scholastic Art Awards and 59 National Scholastic Art Awards, as well as National Beta Competition award winners in the school's first two years of competition.