Celebrating WA’s artists, the Art Club Calendar Contest has selected 14 individuals to have their drawings featured in the WA Art Calendar. The works were finalized on Oct. 22, before being displayed in the flag lobby for WA faculty members to vote on their favorites. Altogether, the faculty had one day to submit their votes.
This year’s 14 were created by seniors Natalie Bearfield, Alex Dunne, Sofia Gutierrez, Charlene Kurnianto, Angel Matos Vega, Tobin Maus, and Kaitlyn Pepin, juniors Aly Bernstein, Ryker Dang, Navya Katru, Lily Talbott, and Sherry Ye, sophomore Vivian Xu, and freshman Elise Hiller. Specifically, the voters payed attention for a wide value range between dark shadows and light areas to create strong contrasts, a certain level of believability, and realism.
Sixty-five students entered the Art Club Calendar Contest, and the top drawings were selected to be featured in the 2026 art calendar, which were sold at the Holiday Bazaar on Dec. 6. Students in Advanced Placement (AP) Art and Design, Advanced Art Honors, Foundations of Art, Studio Art, and AP Drawing created the pieces, capturing images from buildings and events within Westford to smiling pets and family members.
In 1984, art teacher Joan Longobardi initiated the idea to establish the calendar, which provided a space for WA artists to show off their pieces. The students were challenged to create drawings that represented Westford, such as familiar buildings in the Westford Common or annual events that bring the community together. However, over time, the theme has evolved to encompass more drawings centered around personal life. In recent years, these illustrations usually detail people, pets, food, and regular objects. According to art teacher Edward Hardy, students looking forward to be featured in the 2027 art calendar should recall techniques that they have learned in class, as this allows their piece to stand out.
“You see pretty quickly that if you haven’t gotten enough dark values versus light values, the pictures sort of disappear. So the ones that really come off the wall are the ones where the student extended the darks and the lights, [and got] certain techniques down,” Hardy said. “We talk a lot about different drawing techniques throughout the whole process. If the kids follow along with some of the things we’re teaching, they usually end up looking very nice.”
One of the winners, Dunne, composed a picture of the J.V. Fletcher Library in the town common. Notably, the library is currently in renovation, leaving the original architecture behind to create a modern appearance.
“There’s a lot going on with the construction of the library, so that put it in [the] front of mind for me. Because it’s senior year, I was doing a lot of reflection on what Westford means to me and my family. I would go to the library a lot when I was a kid. So, I wanted to do that as an homage,” Dunne said.
According to Dunne, she wanted to give this drawing her all by shining light on the rich New England history and architecture. She believes that the J.V. Fletcher Library is a prime example of Westford history that holds a special place in her heart.
Additionally, multiple sport-themed drawings are featured in the calendar. Pepin illustrated her and her teammates on court during a basketball game in WA’s main gym.
“I like that we’re in uniform rather than it being us in regular gym clothes, because it captures the uniformness of Westford. The [U.S.] flag in the background, I thought, was a really fun detail, because [it’s] like the U.S. being present,” Pepin said.
According to Pepin, she found success in her volleyball and basketball high school career, and wanted to incorporate that feeling into her piece.
Another artist, Hiller, expressed the community of WA through her drawing of a child, stretching their arms at the top of WA’s football stands, standing over the people below.
“I think [my] drawing encapsulates [the high school experience],” Hiller said. “I think it shows that there’s a real diversity of people in this school. People have so many different goals and things that they want to do here.”
These artworks, created from just one ebony pencil, make up the art calendar that will be displayed throughout classrooms and homes in the WA community. Stemming from a tradition that started over 40 years ago, the Art Club Calendar Contest resembles not only the history of Westford, but the people and community of artists that WA hosts.
