Charcoal sketches by students in Sonja Johnson's art class at RLRS. (Dan Fayen photo) RANGELEY — The Rangeley Lakes Region High School is making a state and national name for itself in the realm of art.

Sonja Johnson, the RLRS art teacher recently received a "Picturing America" award from the National Endowment for the Humanities. In addition to the award, Johnson received a teacher's resource book and posters.

The prominence of the superb art program, guided by Johnson, gained further stature with the recent announcement that several Rangeley students won Scholastic Arts Awards.

Rangeley students won 25 percent of all the highly coveted and competitive Scholastic Arts Awards bestowed upon Maine high school students. A team of professional jurors spent hours reviewing a very large number of artistic submissions for the award.

The Gold and Silver Key award winners will be on exhibit at the Heartwood College of Art in Kennebunk beginning Saturday, Feb. 7. A ceremony to honor the art award recipients will immediately follow the placement of the exhibit at the Coastal House in Wells (five minutes from the Heartwood Gallery). Students who receive awards will each be given two tickets (additional tickets are obtainable at a first-come-first serve basis for $8). For more information, call Heartwood at 985- 0985.

"This was an impressive achievement for the students," said Johnson. "Not only did students receive a quarter of all the Scholastic Art Awards received in the state, but they got two of the five American Vision Awards given in the state. These awards are not only important distinctions for the students," Johnson added, "but they also open many possibilities for these students to receive significant art scholarships for college."

Scholastic Art Award Gold Medalists include Doug Haley, Dylan Bean and Nick Bridges. Silver Medalists include Kelsey Linnell, Teryn Austin, Emma Christiansen and Doug Haley; Honorable Mention Awards include Nick Bridges, Rachel Freihoff-Lewin, David vanSoeren and Teryn Austin (two). American Vision Awards include Dylan Bean and Doug Haley.