Congratulations to junior Rachelle Toaldo for having three paintings juried into the Scholastic 144 competition at Shippensburg University. Her work, which could not exceed a combined 144 inches (hence the name of the competition), will be on display at the Kaufmann Gallery from November 4th through the 11th, and will be featured afterwards on their web gallery until March 1st. The Scholastic 144 competition is a regional art competition and is only open to juniors and seniors.

Rachelle is the first Exeter student to have three pieces of her work accepted into the competition, which is quite an accomplishment according to Rachelle's teacher, Ms. Christina Pinkerton. "This is a difficult exhibit to get juried into," she said. "Students are competing with other student artists outside of our county, so there's a larger range of talent for the judges to consider. I have many students who have had artwork rejected from this show, which is a learning experience," she said. "Getting accepted is such a great feeling for both students and myself. Whether she wins an award or not, I am very proud of her--as well as all of my students who enter these competitions--because it's difficult to put yourself out there in the public eye with something as personal as your art."  Rachelle's works, which she created using colored pencils to depict a canoe near a serene lake, and acrylic paint to create a portrait of a cat and a closeup of a vintage Ford.

Rachelle will have a chance to compete against other high school juniors and seniors in Pennsylvania and Maryland to win awards up to $1,000. The exhibition is sponsored by the Art & Design Department of Shippensburg University.