Arts

Earlier this month, Latin alumna Whitney White ’04 became the first Black woman to receive two Tony Award nominations for Best Direction of a Play and was the only woman nominated in the category this year.

Her direction of "Liberation," written by Bess Wohl, helped earn the production five Tony nominations. The play went on to win the Tony Award for Best Play and was also awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Drama.

White received her first Tony Award nomination in 2024 for her direction of "Jaja’s African Hair Braiding." Her successful Broadway debut in 2023 led to the show being extended twice before transferring to the Chicago Shakespeare Theater in 2025.

While at Latin, Whitney was deeply involved in the performing arts, participating in the theater ensemble and choirs during her four years in the Upper School. She was also a member of the Black Student Union, the basketball team, and the track and field team.

We congratulate Whitney on her achievements and look forward to celebrating her continued successes throughout her theater career.  

You can learn more about Whitney's accomplishments at https://whitney-white.com/. 
 

Congratulations to Sloane S. on earning third place in the Sophomore of the Year category at the 2026 Private School Journalism Association Contest, held alongside the Spring National Journalism Convention. Sloane is a writer and Features Editor of Latin's student newspaper, The Forum.

In evaluating her work, the judges noted that her writing is "specific and developed" and that her "topics are especially well chosen and characters develop through their quotes." Meanwhile, her peers say they appreciate that she "brings a keen eye and honed sensibility to her work on the paper."

The National Journalism Convention is sponsored by the Journalism Education Association and the National Scholastic Press Association, and is the largest gathering of high school journalists, advisers and journalism teachers. With instructional sessions, keynote speakers, and critiques, it offers a valuable opportunity for young writers. We thank these organizations for their investment in student education.

We applaud Sloane for embodying what it means to be a Latin Learner, from being a critical thinker to being a creative communicator, and look forward to reading her future work.

Learn about the Spring Journalism Convention

Ten Latin students were recently recognized by the Alliance for Young Artists & Writers through its Scholastic Art & Writing Awards.

The entries they submitted for the regional competition earned a total of 20 awards, including four Gold Keys, seven Silver Keys and nine Honorable Mentions. Below are the names of the students, the awards they won and the categories in which the awards were received.

Art Awards
Arlo H. (10th grade) - SILVER in Experimental Photography for "Electric City"; Honorable Mention in Experimental Photography for "Haunted Self"; Honorable Mention in Photography for "Sometimes I Feel Like a Nut"

Olivia L. (12th grade) - GOLD in Photography for "Clock"; Honorable Mentions in Photography for "Going Places" and "Reflecting"

Charles Y. (12th grade) - GOLD in Photography for "Incarcerated Liberty"

Writing Awards
Pilar A. (11th grade) - GOLD and American Visions Nominee* in Speculative Fiction for "The Dust Gold"; SILVER in Personal Essay & Memoir for "Bam Chowder" 

Cecelia B. (11th grade) - SILVER in Critical Essay for "How Abolitionists Forced Slavery Onto Lincoln's Agenda" 

Scarlet G. (12th grade) - Honorable Mention in Journalism for "The Vital Ms. Vela"

Lyla G. (12th grade) - SILVER in Personal Essay & Memoir for "Red Seat"

Klein K. (11th grade) - Gold and and American Visions Nominee* in Poetry for "sandwiches"; Silver in Poetry for "the girl next door"; Honorable Mentions in Poetry for "closet love," puzzle pieces," "things i would say to you if you would listen: a list," and "tides" 

Joseph O. (12th grade) - SILVER in Critical Essay for "Qian’s Final Lesson: A Unique Perspective On The Chinese Communist Party’s Inner Workings"

Genevieve R. (11th grade) - SILVER in Journalism for "ICE Raids Target Families, Not ‘Crime’"

*Regional American Visions Award Nominees are eligible to receive a national American Visions medal.

The Scholastic Art & Writing Awards are the nation's longest-running, most prestigious recognition program for creative teens. They seek to honor "the vision, ingenuity and talent of our nation’s youth, and provide opportunities for creative teens to be celebrated." Past winners include Richard Avedon - photographer, Ken Burns - producer, Robert Indiana - artist, Joyce Carol Oates - author, and Amanda Gorman - poet.

We want to extend our heartfelt congratulations to the award winners for their remarkable achievements. We also want to express our sincere gratitude to our teachers for their unwavering dedication to helping our students pursue their passions and seek excellence.

Learn more about these awards at the Alliance for Young Artists & Writers. 

We congratulate Gabriel R. (11th grade) on being selected as one of the four finalists of the 2026 Crain-Maling Foundation CSO Young Artist Competition.

This is a prestigious concerto competition for Illinois’ top young soloists, sponsored by the Crain-Maling Foundation, whose mission includes supporting education and cultural activities. The Chicago Symphony Orchestra, founded in 1891, is consistently hailed as one of the greatest orchestras in the world.

After taking part in a preliminary round, Gabriel auditioned at Symphony Center alongside a competitive field of applicants in front of a distinguished panel of judges. From there, he was selected as one of four finalists.

As a finalist he has been invited to perform live in Orchestra Hall, accompanied by the Civic Orchestra of Chicago and led by Naomi Woo, Music Director of the NYO Canada.

The winner of this final round will earn a place as a featured soloist with members of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra as part of the CSO School and Family Concerts series. We wish Gabriel the best of luck!

To learn more about this program, visit Young Artists Competition.