Two students at the Martha’s Vineyard Regional High School won national gold medals at the 2025 Scholastic Art & Writing Awards.

Senior Caiden Gardner and sophomore Tessa Schulz each won gold medals for photography.

Tessa Shulz won a gold medal for her photo, Vacation Over. — Tessa Schulz

“This is the first time since Davin Tackabury’s win in 2018 that any MVRHS student has won a Gold Medal — or any recognition — at the national level of this long-running, prestigious competition,” wrote Chris Baer, department chair of art, design and technology at the regional high school, in an announcement of the awards.

Mr. Gardner’s black-and-white photo, titled Final Dance, shows a man dressed in a trench coat teetering by the water while holding a briefcase in one hand. According to Mr. Gardner, it represents “someone who is fed up with corporate life. He runs off to nature and dances one final time.”

Mr. Garner is headed to MassArt in the fall, and Mr. Baer is excited to his student’s art career flourish.

“He is definitely an artist at heart and he thinks like an artist and this is a really nice feather in his cap because he earned this and it’s gonna do him well going forward to art school this year,” Mr. Baer said.

Making the photo black and white was intentional, according to Mr. Gardner.

“It’s not meant to be a joyful photo,” he said. “It fits better with darker tones and then the waves popped out more that way.”

Ms. Schulz’s photo also is depicted by the water. Titled Vacation Over, an single arm rises out of the sand, lifting toward the sky.

According the Ms. Schulz, this is supposed to be a contrast to the perfect Vineyard beach pictures often depicted.

“I personally really enjoy this photo because I think it’s just different and stands out,” she said. “It’s not like every other perfect, beach, scenic, Martha’s Vineyard picture that there are so many of here on the Island, and I think it just really gets your attention.”

Mr. Baer has enjoyed having Ms. Schulz in his photography classes throughout the years.

“She really enjoys doing photography so she keeps coming back and taking more of my classes,” he said. “That was just a really unusual shot that she created. I’d never seen anything quite like it before so I was delighted that she won.”

Both students will be honored in June at Carnegie Hall in New York City, where they will be invited on stage to take a bow.

“Most years, the Empire State Building is lit up in gold light for the occasion,” Mr. Baer said.