The Osceola Center for the Arts has announced the students and teachers of the Osceola County School District, including private and charter schools, who participated in the 21st Annual Osceola School District Student Art Show, which will remain on exhibit through Tuesday.

Thirty-four art teachers submitted up to 10 pieces of artwork from each school to compete for first-, second- and third-place ribbons and a $100 best of show prize.

The exhibit reception and awards took place April 7. All students received a ribbon for participation. The top three winners in the following categories also received ribbons: painting (any medium), mixed media, drawing, pottery/ sculpture, graphic/photography and special category (Florida). The different divisions were: high school, middle school, elementary grades three to five and elementary grades kindergarten through two.

The 2011 best of show recipient is Eduardo Correa, a senior from the Osceola County School for the Arts. Teacher Patricia Calderon helped to present his award as well as County Arts Coordinator Debbie Fahmie and the Center’s Visual Arts Director Jules Davidson.

“After five years of organizing this event, I have never seen such a leap in growth — from 24 participating schools in 2010 to 34 in 2011. There were 285 pieces of artwork, which, in turn, made for very large crowds for the reception,” Davidson said. “We will be reorganizing next year’s event in order to accommodate for the number of family and friends who attend the awards ceremony.”

In addition, the Gateway High School IB program is showcasing the artwork of nine students in the community room at the center. The students organized and displayed their work under the supervision of teacher Sally Marie Stapleton and were graded by an outside assessment program, which will result in their final grades for graduation later this year.

The center is on East U.S. Highway 192 between Kissimmee and St. Cloud. Call 407-846-6257 or visit www.ocfta.com for more information.