Press Releases

Congresswoman Chellie Pingree has invited First District high-school students to submit their artwork to hang at the Capitol and to tell President Obama why he should speak at their commencement.  The deadline for submission to the 2010 Congressional High School Art Competition is Friday, March 19, and the Race to the Top High School Commencement Challenge is Monday, March 15. 

Each year, thousands of students across the country enter the Congressional High School Art Competition.  One winner is chosen from each Congressional District, and their artwork is hung in a corridor of the U.S. Capitol building for a year.  The student and guest will be honored at a reception in Washington, D.C., in June and Southwest Airlines will provide two roundtrip tickets from Maine to Washington.

“Maine has been the home to some of our country’s greatest artists,” Pingree said.  “We have a tradition in our state of supporting and encouraging the arts and I know we’re going to see some terrific entries in this contest.”

Before heading to Washington, the winning artists will be honored at a reception at the Blaine House in May.  All winners are eligible for a scholarship to the Savannah College of Art.  

The artwork—paintings, drawings, collages, prints, mixed media, photography, or computer-generated art—can be up to 28 inches by 28 inches.  Students should submit digital photos of their artwork for consideration. The Maine Arts Commission appoints the judges and collects the entries.  Deadline for entry is Friday, March 19.

For more information, call Ann Goodridge in Chellie Pingree’s Portland Office at (207) 774-5019 or visit http://pingree.house.gov/services/artistic-discovery.shtml.

The White House and Department of Education have announced a new Race to the Top High School Commencement Challenge and are inviting public schools across the country to compete to have President Obama speak at their graduation.

Online applications must be completed by students and submitted by a high school’s Principal using the Commencement Challenge Application Form no later than Monday, March 15th at 11:59 p.m.  Each school may submit only one application and high schools must be public to apply.   Following the application deadline, the public will vote online from six schools for the top three finalists.  The President will select a national winner for him to deliver the commencement address to the school’s class of 2010. 

The application’s four essay questions focus on demonstrating how the school is helping prepare students to become college graduates.  The application is online at: http://www.whitehouse.gov/Commencement.