Lake Placid High School student Matthew Corcoran is presented with his first-place medal in the Al Oter Foundation’s Sports Art Contest by LPCSD Community Schools Coordinator Keith Clark at the Olympic Center on Tuesday. (Enterprise photo — Sydney Emerson)
LAKE PLACID — Several Lake Placid Junior and Senior High School students received awards Tuesday for their Olympic-themed artwork at the Lake Placid Olympic Center, and a mural created by Lake Placid fourth-graders will be displayed in a government building in Paris this summer to commemorate the 2024 Summer Olympics.
The students, “Art in Sport” The contest is sponsored by the Al Oter Foundation in memory of four-time Olympic gold medalist Al Oter. The Foundation’s flagship program is “Art of Olympians,” showcasing the creative work of Olympians. Over 300 students from five countries participated in the contest. The only U.S. entries were from Will Rogers Elementary School and Eagle View Middle School in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Medals were awarded to each class. There was also an overall contest among the entries.
In the middle school division, Lake Placid Junior and Senior High School students Stella Hoffman and Sophie Cunniff won third place, Raya Torrance won second place, and Ella Wilson won first place. In the high school division, Briar Beeney won third place, Eliza Fitzsimmons won second place, and Matthew Corcoran won first place. Middle school students Hoffman, Cunniff, and Wilson tied for second place in the all-around competition. Their silver medals were presented by Princess Charlene of Monaco in a ceremony at the U.S. Embassy in Paris on May 15 and presented to them by LPCSD Community Schools Coordinator Keith Clark, Olympic Center General Manager Chad Cassidy, and Olympic Museum Director Courtney Bastian at the Olympic Center on Tuesday.
Fourth-graders from Lake Placid worked together to create an Olympic-themed mural, a copy of which will be displayed inside Paris 7th arrondissement Mayor Rachida Dati’s office during the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris.
All LPHS art students entered the contest as a class assignment, but second-place winner Fitzsimmons said she didn’t realize it was a contest until halfway through the painting process. Students were asked to research two Olympians and one Paralympian. They also had to research the 1924 Summer Olympics in Paris and incorporate differences between 1924 and 2024 into their artwork.
Lake Placid High School student Eliza Fitzsimmons received her second-place medal in the Al Oter Foundation’s Sports Arts Competition from Olympic Center General Manager Chad Cassidy at the Olympic Center on Tuesday. (Enterprise photo — Sydney Emerson)
Fitzsimmons’ paintings depict how diving has changed over the past century.
“We wanted to show that in 1924, diving was done outdoors, but now in 2024, it’s done indoors.” She said: “I put the French flag on the divers as a cape because I wanted to show that when you’re at the Olympics you feel like you’re representing your country and you’re like a superhero for your country.”
The winner, Corcoran, “Unity” The piece emphasizes the Olympic colors from 1924 to 2024. Beanie, who won third place, chose track and field as her subject.
“Half of the track was the normal track material we have today for people to run on, but in 1924 it was covered with dirt and stuff and people ran on it.” She said:
She also described how Olympic uniforms have changed since 1924.
Lake Placid High School student Briar Beeney receives her third-place medal in the Al Oter Foundation’s Sports Art Contest. (Enterprise photo – Sydney Emerson)
Corcoran said that in the process of creating the paintings, he learned a lot about the mindset of an athlete and the similarities between sports and art.
“To create art, you have to persevere through challenges. You have to be creative. Athletes have to be creative in how they perform. It’s a goal of, ‘I want to be the best that I can be.'” He said.
Fourth-graders from Lake Placid Elementary School look at a mural they created together at the Olympic Center on Tuesday that will be on display at both the Olympic Center and in an Olympic art exhibit at the Mayor’s Office in the 7th arrondissement in Paris, France. (Enterprise photo — Sidney Emerson)
