PEA RIDGE — Pea Ridge elementary art students traveled were honored at a special reception at the Gilcrease Museum of American Art in Tulsa this past weekend.

The 14 students were among 50 Pea Ridge students who have had their art exhibited in a special showing that began June 22 with the show slated to come down July 18. After welcoming remarks by museum curator Deborah Burke, the students were awarded with silver medallions for their presence at the ceremony.

“Pea Ridge art students really have some outstanding work to be shown,” Ms. Burke said.

“We have gotten a lot of comments from visitors to our museum about how impressive the display is.”

Students attending the ceremony, along with their parents, were the following: Elijah Austin, first grade; Harmony Reynolds, second grade;

Lorena Razuri, Madison Blankenship and Holden O’Neal, third grade; Tori Scrogham, Ashley Hansen and Leanza Norris, fourth grade; Maggie Kiely, fifth grade; and Miranda Morgan, Haley Messer and Megan Turner, sixth grade.

This was the secondyear in a row Pea Ridge was invited to exhibit the best art pieces produced by local art students in grades kindergarten through fifth grade. During Ms. Burkes remarks, an official invitation was extended for Pea Ridge to put on another show in 2011, an offer Pea Ridge art teacher John McGee immediately accepted.

“While I would have liked to have more students make the trip to Tulsa, we had a good contingent,” McGeesaid, adding “for kids to be able to hang their art in an internationally renown museum and to know that thousands of people are viewing their art favorably is a great confidence booster for our students.”

The 50-piece display will return to Pea Ridge later this month, then be entered in the Benton County Fair in August.

There may be a public viewing in the local community if a venue can be found.

Sports, Pages 8 on 07/14/2010