Three Amherst Regional High School students have been awarded national medals for the 2017 Scholastic Art & Writing Awards, the nation’s longest-running and most prestigious recognition program for creative teens in grades 7–12. Ava Blum-Carr received a Gold Medal for her oil painting “Detainees”, one of only three paintings from Massachusetts selected for that honor. Maya Durham won gold in the category of Comic Art for her drawing “The Last City”, and she is the only student in the state to win national honors in this category. Both Blum-Carr’s and Durham’s artworks address the refugee crisis. Ling Li won a Silver Medal for her drawing “Amalia” in the Drawing & Illustration category. All three works were created this fall in the Art Portfolio class led by teacher Ben Sears. Sears will also be honored as a Gold Medal Educator. Blum-Carr’s and Durham’s Gold Medal winning works will be on display at either Parsons, The New School for Design or the Pratt Manhattan Gallery. On June 8, 2017, the pair will be among those honored during a special awards ceremony live-webcasted from the world-famous Carnegie Hall.  You can see their artworks here.