Kristina Girvan’s ceramic sculpture “Octavious”

Friday Harbor High School 9th-grader  Kristina Girvan earned statewide recognition at the 53rd Annual OSPI Superintendent’s High School Art Show. Her ceramic sculpture, Octavious, received the prestigious Governor’s Choice Award from Washington State Governor Bob Ferguson.

Girvan’s artwork was originally selected to represent the Northwest ESD 189 region, which includes five counties and serves approximately 16% of Washington State’s K–12 public school students. Regional winners from across the state then advanced to compete against artwork from the state’s eight other educational service districts, making the Governor’s Choice Award one of the highest honors in the competition.

Katie Ferguson, a high school advanced art student and member of the National Art Honor Society, also praised the work, saying, “I know how hard it is to work with clay, especially to make an octopus. It’s a very delicate piece to make. I’m very impressed by it.”

When discussing her artistic process during the ceremony, Kristina reflected on the experience by saying, “Sometimes going with the flow and taking a different path than you originally planned can lead you somewhere wonderful.”

Kristina Girvan