Hidden Valley High School student, Michael Saunders, was chosen as one of the Young Arts finalists this year. Congratulations to him and to Hidden Valley High School!

Competition for this recognition is very tough and there are even specialized schools in Michigan and other places that students go to for preparation to compete specifically for the Young Arts contest.

As a finalist, Grady will be flown down to Miami the beginning of January and will spend a week with the 150 top students of the Arts in the country. He will have master class instruction by nationally and internationally recognized artists. Of the 150 finalists, 60 will be nominated for Presidential Scholars in the Arts. The committee in Washington will choose 20 of the 60 as Presidential Scholars. Also, 40 of the 150 will be chosen as “winners” and flown to New York in April for another week of master classes and activities. He will also be given from $1000 to $10,000.

The young men and women who usually win this competition usually go to places like Julliard, Carnegie Mellon, Cincinnati and all of the Ivy League Schools. Grady could very well be admitted to University of Southern California, the finest film school in the country.

This accomplishment is certainly a landmark for Hidden Valley High School.

You can read more about the Young Arts Contest here.

Information submitted to us by Rhonda W. Stegall, Principal of Hidden Valley High School