CONTRIBUTED PHOTO West Marshall senior-to-be Hannah Frahm, pictured, was honored with a silver medal at the National Scholastic Art and Writing Competition for her sculpture, “Mechanical Grace,” which was created with pointe shoes, chicken wire, flowers, chains and metal gears from her grandfather’s farm near State Center.

STATE CENTER — Hannah Frahm, who is entering her senior year at West Marshall High School, recently made history as the district’s first ever honoree at the prestigious National Scholastic Art and Writing Awards.

Every year, in about 28 categories, teenagers in grades 7-12 submit more than 330,000 works of art and writing. Jurors look for works that exemplify the awards’ core values: originality, skill, and the emergence of a personal voice or vision.

Back in December of 2023, Frahm submitted her sculpture titled “Mechanical Grace,” which is created from pointe shoes, chicken wire, flowers, chains and metal gears from her grandfather’s farm near State Center, combining her years of experience with en pointe dance theory and her rural, agricultural background.

“Ballerinas are very mechanical in their steps but are perceived as very graceful and elegant. We have to work our bodies like machines but do it in a grateful way,” she said. “It’s given me perseverance and just keeping a determined attitude because when you’re trying to learn a skill, you just can’t give up after the second time you try. And then also just keeping a goal in mind and seeing that success can be different in many ways… You just have to step back and look at what you’ve achieved from the beginning.”

In March, Frahm learned that her project had won a Gold Key, a regional recognition for the top five percent of competitors in the Midwest. From there, she moved on to the national level and received a silver medal indicating that she was in the top seven percent of all contestants.

“This piece connects dancers’ ability to perform precisely, like robotic machines executing precise, technical moves; however, ballerinas do it beautifully and gracefully. Ballerinas’ bodies are machines with every detail to be perfect; toes pointed, legs straight, arms in perfect angles, feet turned out, backs straight, and smiles, while keeping the mood of the dance either energetic or romantic, not missing a beat or move,” she said.

Since she has another year to enter, Frahm has now set her sights on earning a gold medal and advancing to the international competition with students from around the world. As she explained, there’s nothing quite like what she’s created out there right now, and she’s drawn inspiration from influences as disparate as historical paintings and the popular reality television show “Dance Moms.”

“Working with 3-D art, you have this goal in mind of what you want it to look like, but sometimes it doesn’t turn out that way so you have to take a step back and figure out ‘What can I do now to make it look even better?’ It’s just thinking on my feet. No pun intended,” Frahm said.

And as she prepares to take the next step in life, Frahm is already considering three colleges with the intention to major in occupational therapy but minor in art in hopes of keeping that flame burning — in addition to the visual form and her dance skills, Frahm is also a talented musician who sings and plays guitar and saxophone.

“I have a lot more sculptures to come,” she said. “Since I’ll be a senior this year, I’ll get to submit a portfolio. If I get a Gold Key for that, I’ll be the first from West Marshall to get a Gold Key portfolio, and if I keep going up in nationals, I could get big scholarship money.”

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Contact Robert Maharry

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