Two 8th grade students. East Middle School grades in the Brentwood Union Free School District have been selected to exhibit their artwork at the 2026 National Junior Art Honor Society Exhibition.
Brenda Flores and Sean Adu, both members of the school chapter of the Youth Art Honor Society, were chosen from a competitive pool of more than 2,000 submissions.
Their works are part of a virtual exhibition that will represent 75 schools from 26 different states.
Flores’ piece, titled “Balloon Letter B,” highlights her attention to detail and her growth as an artist.
“I like this work of art mainly because of all the details that I managed to capture,” Flores commented. “It challenged me to try something new, and I think I managed to capture the value of light and form very well.”
Brenda Flores’ work was created under the guidance of teacher Jenn Grasso-Moise.
Meanwhile, Adu’s drawing, titled “Honu kai,” reflects both his artistic skill and his environmental awareness.
Inspired by the decline of sea turtle populations, he decided to intentionally depict a single turtle to emphasize its status as an endangered species.
“Sea turtles have existed for more than 100 million years,” Adu noted. “Please save the turtles and don’t pollute our oceans.”
The title of Sean Adu’s work means “sea turtle” in Hawaiian. Her teacher is Stephanie Veitsman.
