Grace Zhang, a Jericho eighth-grader, earned second place in ARTEFFECT, a national competition held by the Lowell Milken Center that recognizes unsung heroes in history through student artwork. Zhang’s painting, “Bus Ride to Equality,” featured civil rights activist Irene Morgan and earned her a $1,000 scholarship.
“We are thrilled,” said Michelle Vevante, Zhang’s history teacher. Vevante said the school has been participating in the competition for about six years.
In addition to the ARTEFFECT contest, the Lowell Milken Center also runs the Discovery Awards competition. Vevante said in both competitions, students answer similar prompts in different approaches, with the ARTEFFECT contest taking an interdisciplinary look at historic research and visual art.
Jericho students frequently participate in both of the center’s competitions, and the middle school’s educators, Theresa Cantwell and Valerie Conklin, were recognized by the center’s fellowship program this year.
In this year’s ARTEFFECT competition, Zhang is one of 34 middle and high schoolers across the nation—and one of two in the state—to receive the center’s recognition.
“Irene Morgan’s impact on the Civil Rights Movement has been overlooked but was very crucial, helping launch the Montgomery Bus Boycott and inspiring figures such as Rosa Parks to act against segregation,” Zhang wrote in a statement provided by the competition.
Vevante said Zhang had already studied the Civil Rights Movement and Freedom Riders in class, but had an opportunity to dive deeper into the movement through Morgan’s lens.
“Irene Morgan glancing at the doves represents her main goal to achieve equality and peace,” Zhang said.
Vevante said the ARTEFFECT project happens completely outside of their school curriculum. She said the contest allows students to have an extracurricular, creative outlet while still expanding their knowledge on school curriculum.
“It’s something that they choose to take on for the love of it and the chance to compete,” she said.
She said the competition has gotten more popular in the middle school in recent years and students are inspired by their peers’ success.
“Jericho had a number of amazing entries this year, and Grace’s portrayal of Irene Morgan resonated with the judges as it really captured her impact on history while also being visually striking,” said James Lawlor, a Jericho Middle School history teacher and ARTEFFECT ambassador.
Lawlor said he became an ambassador earlier this year alongside Jericho history teachers Sarah Espinal and Brian Dussel. He said the three educators visit sixth- through 12th-grade classrooms to spread the word about the competition and assist students and teachers with the selection and research process.
“I am so happy for Grace and for Michelle Vevante, her social studies teacher, who supported her throughout the competition. The portrait is breathtaking and really tells an important story,” he said.
Lawlor said that throughout his participation with the art competition, he has learned that “ordinary people can make a positive change in the world” through their courage and determination.
“Through the focus on Unsung Heroes, these young artists make critical connections between the past, present, and future, and come to recognize their own potential to stimulate positive change in the world. The annual competition invites a range of mediums and artistic expressions,” said Toni Guglielmo, the competition’s executive director.
The ARTEFFECT team said there were over $37,000 total given to students nationwide.
“These award-winning projects convey the historical significance of their subjects in burgeoning contemporary styles. We applaud the amazing achievements of the 2025 winners,” Guglielmo said.
To culminate the ARTEFFECT competition, Lawlor put together an exhibition of Jericho students’ submitted pieces, showcasing them in the middle school lobby.
“All of the students who entered the competition worked very hard to produce incredible pieces of art, and it was a pleasure to help provide a space to showcase their efforts. It was especially impactful to see students and staff gather around the gallery and offer their congratulations to the artists,” Lawlor said.
Vevante said the competition has continued to grow in Jericho.
“It allows them to shine,” Vevante said.
