News + Notes

OS28 Isabella Pezzulo wins YoungArts 2014 US Presidential Scholar in the Arts award

05/08/14

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Izzy Pezzulo an OS28 alum and senior at the Alexander W. Dreyfoos School of the Arts in West Palm Beach, FL has won the YoungArts 2014 US Presidential Scholar in the Arts Award and a Pathfinder Award Arts Scholarship.

YoungArts congratulates the 50th class of US Presidential Scholars. The 20 Scholars in the Arts, all 2014 YoungArts Winners, were nominated to The White House Commission on Presidential Scholars by YoungArts, and selected based on academic, civic and artistic achievement. The award, presented on behalf of the President of the United States, is the highest honor that can be bestowed upon an artistically talented graduating high school senior. These talented young artists will showcase their work at the John F. Kennedy Center for Performing Arts and at The Smithsonian Institute in Washington, D.C. on Monday, June 23, 2014.Read the full announcement and event details.

Pezzulo spent much of her Dreyfoos career studying at other schools through various programs such as the Oxbow School in Napa, CA and Cow House Studio in Ireland. - Jason Schultz, The Palm Beach Post - read full article.

Oxbow was, without a doubt, the best part of my high school experience. A year after leaving, and I still feel as though it were yesterday that I was sitting on the lawn, eating in the dining hall, and laughing with my friends in the studios.

— Julia Weir, Fall 2015

I learned to drop all previous assumptions I had about people because I had never met anyone like the other students at Oxbow. For the first time, my peers and their insightful thinking inspired me. For example, during the ‘Einstein’s Dreams’ presentations, I kept looking around the room thinking, I can’t believe all of these students are talking the way I think.

— Sara DeLong, Spring 2010

It's been a whirlwind week, but also a time when I sang the praises of Oxbow to my colleagues. I've been thinking much about how Oxbow is an exemplar of true education. That art centers the curriculum is hardly surprising, and for those of us who work within the traditional educational mold Oxbow offers a gold standard of focused project based learning. Beyond the school's approach to immersive experience are the intangibles which make Oxbow different. The sense of community and of working together, even as each student retained their strong individual presence is palpable. The feeling of warmth and trust between the adults and the nearly adults in the Oxbow community could be felt throughout the campus. The openness of the architecture and interconnectedness of the three studios in themselves speak of the Oxbow philosophy and identity. More than form follows function, the physical attributes of Oxbow have a distinct warmth and invite exploration.

I'm sure that the ongoing challenges of leading and reinventing your school might sometimes keep you from having the time to see Oxbow with the fresh eyes of a visitor, but your steady presence and vision are really visible in every detail. Thank you for inviting me to one of the most profound experiences in my career.

— Ken Rush, Visual Arts Department, Packer Collegiate Institute

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