Not having adjudicated in this manner before, Carol was intrigued by the solitary nature of the process.  There was no conference between judges as she had been accustomed to.  In fact, the three each went in a different direction, to keep from bumping into each other.  This turned out to be a good thing, since there was no distraction from the decisions at hand.  Carol's strategy was to find the top quality pieces and rate them immediately, then go on to the rest.  Interestingly, when the entire judging was completed, the three judges had arrived at the same conclusions regarding the Best of the Show, and etc,. on down through red ribbons et al. 

At break time the judges and Carol's husband, Ed, who always accompanies her on these occasions, were treated to coffee, tea and cookies.  It was a welcome break, for the task was not easy. " There are many talented youngsters in our area schools, which speaks well for the dedicated teachers who guide them.",  Carol observed.  The judging was completed in the time alloted, and Carol had time to relax and look at the rest of the show, the Grade School art.  It, too was quite impressive although the judging criteria was somewhat different and more lenient in its requirements.  She came away from the entire experience with  a good feeling concerning the quality of art and most especially the originality and variety of work produced by the artists who will shape our future.

Carol wants to thank Jeanne Montgomery and the staff, students and parents of  Northwest Christian High School for their hospitality and professionalism..  "It was a delightful experience", she said, "Maybe they will invite me back next year."

Visit the website for Northwest Christian High School at:  www.nchs-olympia.org  or phone: (360) 491-2966