Mr. Adam Guild from Star Valley High School spoke with SVI Media’s Dan Dockstader to recap the State Art Symposium. See the 2-page feature in the May 6, 2026 edition of the Star Valley Independent. The Art Showcase is scheduled for Wednesday, May 6 from 5:00-7:30 p.m. in the Star Valley High School Auxilliary Gym.

After the interview, Mr. Guild also acknowledged that Emery Kennington was in the Top 25 from the symposium.

(0:00) An impressive showing at the Wyoming High School Art Symposium. (0:03) With that in mind, we’re going to visit with Adam Gild, head of the Art Department (0:07) at Star Valley High School. Adam Gild, you brought back some (0:10) key honors, major honors for the Art Department (0:13) at Star Valley High School.

Yes, Dan, thank you for doing this for us. (0:17) Yeah, we had a great showing down there at Casper this year. (0:21) Had some school records and some things that we’ve never done before (0:24) happened and so it was just overall it was a really (0:27) impressive, really great year for us.

What really stood out, Mr. Gild, as far as (0:31) our art at the state level? Okay, well as far as (0:35) like number of ribbons that we get, they give a blue ribbon, we got 166 of (0:40) those. The next closest school to us (0:44) was 93. 166 and the closest was 93? 93.

How do you feel about that as (0:51) heading up the Art Department and for those who work with you in the Art (0:55) Program? You know, I just feel like with the (0:58) trimester and everything, we’ve got a few more kids (1:00) and then we’ve changed up the program a little bit and (1:05) with the new kids and just changing the program, it’s just really (1:08) taken off and we’ve got more pieces. We’re taking like 300 (1:11) plus pieces to state now. We only used to take like 100, 150 (1:16) so it’s just grown.

No easy task to go to state art. (1:20) You have to get all this put together and haul it all the way across the state to (1:24) Casper, to the Casper Events Center, is that (1:26) correct? Yes, it is. You know, every school, there’s 70 schools that (1:30) participate in this and so it’s a big show.

There’ll be over (1:33) 4,000, I think there’s 4,821 pieces this year at the show so it’s a huge (1:38) show and yeah, it takes a lot of work. We have (1:41) to get every piece matted, forms filled out and everything for (1:45) each one of them so yeah, it’s a lot of work. (1:47) And you noted the number of ribbons.

Tell us what that means, the ribbons. (1:50) The ribbons is, so they take the total number of entries, so I’m just going to (1:54) throw out 4,000. They take that number, they divide it by (1:57) 25%, 25% receives a ribbon.

They divide that 25% up equally (2:02) amongst the art teachers that are there so we each get an (2:05) award like about 14 ribbons to some and it can’t be your own school (2:10) and so we give those out, that’s the blue ribbons there (2:14) and then there’s other awards on top of that but that’s the blue ribbons. (2:17) Adam Guild with the Star Valley High School Art Department. Any particular (2:20) students that just stand out, kind of unique work this year that you’d (2:24) like to know? Yes, we had actually, we had a few.

We had (2:27) Jacqueline Jeske who actually won the entire show so she (2:31) got the best of show. Her piece will be going to Washington DC this year (2:34) for a year so that was outstanding. We had (2:38) McKenna Clint who actually had three in the top 25.

That’s the highest we’ve ever, (2:43) we’ve never had a student get three pieces in that top 25 before (2:46) so that’s pretty awesome. We had another student in the top 25, Sam Bromwell (2:51) also had a piece in the top 25. So we had a total of six in the 2D (2:56) top 25.

Then we had Tootsie Peterson who had two pieces that were in the top 25 (3:01) in the 3D category. So we have a total of eight pieces in (3:05) the top 25 this year which is a school record. Very impressive.

(3:09) Closing thoughts on another successful year (3:12) with the Star Valley High School art program? You know, it’s just awesome. First (3:15) of all, the other art teacher Denise Frazier and (3:18) I were talking about how awesome it is to teach here (3:20) in this community at this high school where we have so much support. (3:24) Other teachers complain about not having money or not having support from (3:27) administrators and everything and we just have all the support in the world.

(3:30) We have our administrators support us, district (3:33) office supports us, the parents support us. I mean we had (3:36) Jacqueline Jeske’s parents found out she got that award and they (3:39) took off and drove all the way to Casper for the banquet. I mean that’s (3:43) the kind of parents that we have and it’s just incredible to work here.

(3:46) It’s awesome to work with Denise. I had the opportunity to work with her for (3:49) the last few years and it’s been great. So it’s just a great place to work.

(3:53) Adam Gill of the Star Valley High School art department. Dan Dockstead reporting (3:57) at Star Valley High School.