After being selected as a nominee for the Shooting Stars scholarship, candidates are beginning to prepare themselves for the April gala. Shooting Stars is a program that recognizes high school artists in Johnson County. Students involved in a range of artistic pursuits from drama to music to visual arts are nominated by their teachers to compete against fellow Johnson County students for the scholarship, which will be decided in April.

A workshop was held at the Johnson County Arts and Heritage Center on Nov. 14 to begin preparing the selected students for the long journey to April. At the workshop, students were able to learn about the extensive Shooting Stars process, important dates, expectations for auditions and portfolios and other helpful information.

Senior Emma Leonard who was nominated for photography, attended the workshop and benefited from the presentations.

“I really liked hearing a lot of the logistics of the program and how the whole submission process works,” Leonard said.

In addition to an overview of the program, the workshop included time for students to break into small groups based on their nomination categories. From there, they were able to learn specific information and ask more personal questions.

“We talked about the requirements for the portfolio we have to submit and what the judges are looking for in our portfolio and the requirements,” Leonard said.

Senior Sam McCoy was nominated for 3D Art and has began thinking of what to include in her portfolio for the program.

“I’m most excited to put together my portfolio,” McCoy said. “I’ll probably focus a lot on wire and human form.”

Although the goal of the Shooting Stars program for students is to hopefully win an award and scholarship money, the opportunity itself is powerful for students to be able to share their art, music and other creative abilities with the rest of Johnson County.

The Shooting Stars Gala will take place on April 7 at the Nerman Museum of Contemporary Art on the Johnson County Community College Campus. It will celebrate all students involved in the program, recognizing artistic talent throughout Johnson County high schools.