Booker High School and Riverview High School Graduates Receive Coexistence Scholarships

Recent high school graduates Jaylen Benony (Booker), Kennedy Flatch (Riverview) and Melissa Graham (Riverview), who were members of the school’s Coexistence Club, received four-year, $1,000 renewable scholarships from Embracing Our Differences.

Flatch and Graham will attend the University of Florida in the fall, while Benony will attend the University of North Florida in the fall. Additionally, Jay Murphy, who interned at EOD in 2023, received a second $1,000 scholarship to attend Ringling College of Art and Design.

The students are part of an EOD initiative that awards $1,000 annual renewable scholarships to students from regional high school Coexistence Clubs. Current Coexistence Club locations include Booker, North Port, Pine View, Riverview, Sarasota, Suncoast Polytech and Venice high schools, as well as Imagine Schools North Port Upper Campus.

Coexistence Club members serve as guides for thousands of students who visit EOD outdoor exhibits each year, and also lead student initiatives at their schools to promote inclusion and acceptance. Scholarships are made possible by the Jody Beresford and Robert Mayer Scholarship Fund and private donors.

“The dedication of Coexistence Club members to promoting inclusivity, kindness, and respect in their schools and at the annual EOD Expo inspires us to recognize their efforts and support their continuing education,” said Ben Jewell-Plocher, EOD’s Director of Learning and Engagement. “As the scholarship enters its fifth year, we are thrilled to see past recipients continue to champion inclusivity in their campus communities.”

Benony will study interdisciplinary studies with a concentration in film and screenwriting and entrepreneurship at North Florida; Flatch will study business marketing at Florida; and Graham will study biology at Florida.

For 21 years, Embracing Our Differences has inspired audiences with an annual outdoor exhibition featuring 50 billboard-sized works of art and accompanying quotes. The outdoor art exhibit has attracted more than 4.8 million visitors since its inception and is the heart of a year-round program of activities promoting diversity and kindness. Next year’s exhibit will be held Jan. 19 through April 13 at Bayfront Park in Sarasota and March 1 through March 31 at Flora Wylie Park in St. Petersburg. For more information, call 941-404-5710 or visit EmbracingOurDifferences.org.

Congress Art Competition

Zachary Keshish, a third-grader at Lakewood Ranch Preparatory Academy, recently won the 2024 Congressional Art Competition, a district-wide showcase for high school artists. This year, Congressman Vern Buchanan’s office received 41 entries from Florida’s 16th district.

Keshisha’s work, “Bored,” will be on display in Washington, D.C., for one year in the hallway between the U.S. Capitol and the Cannon House Office Building. Ella Thompson of Saint Stephen’s Episcopal School in Bradenton was second with her work, “Orange,” and Brooke Malecki of Lennard High in Ruskin was third with her work, “Peace Is Just Around The Corner.”

“Facebook Fan Favorite” awards went to Betsy Neal for “Dancing With The Waves,” Ella Thompson for “Orange,” and Madison McAvoy for “Bus Mirror,” all from Saint Stephen’s. The judging panel included curators from the Ringling Museum of Art. For more information, visit buchanan.house.gov/congressional-art-competition.

Submissions by Su Byron and Tara Poulton