Spring Branch ISD Featured News

A Memorial High School junior is one of only 10 students from across the Houston region this year to receive a $500 Texas Art Supply Award through the recent Scholastic Art & Writing Awards program, sponsored by the Harris County Dept. of Education.

Awarded the $500 prize during the Regional Scholastic Art & Writing Ceremony downtown earlier this week was Ruby Zhou, who has been awarded several other recognitions for her artistic skill. She won the latest award for her mixed-media submission, Forever in My Memory Symphony No. 1.

“Ruby Zhou is a wonderful student who loves art and aspires to be a lifelong learner,” Memorial art teacher Marilyn Guerinot said. 

Ruby earned a Gold Key Award in recent Scholastic Art judging. In addition, she has received a Silver Key Award for a Scholastic Writing entry, a remarkable two-level prize result. Few students win both art and writing awards in the annual Scholastic contests.

Some of Ruby’s other art honors include the Texas Student Art Contest, where she won Best in Show and a certificate from Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, a trophy, and $500.

She has also participated in the Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo program, winning the Special Merit Award. She was Rodeo finalist last year, too. In the statewide UIL Visual Arts Scholastic Event (VASE), Ruby has scored at the highest level possible, and her work has advanced to state-level judging.

Her art has won state recognition in the PTA Reflections competition, too. She has also been awarded Excellence and Merit awards in the Houston World Series of Dog Shows student art contests.

An EMERGE program student seeking possible future admission to selective colleges, Ruby has special interests including violin and dance. She incorporates these interests in her art.

Ruby has already been awarded several scholarships, including a study abroad program located in Berlin, Germany, and an opportunity to attend the Oxbridge Program sponsored by the University of Oxford.

She also devotes her time to a new Memorial High club, C.A.R.E (Charitable Aid to Regions Everywhere), which aims to support other groups that include the Global Education Fund and National English Honor Society. Ruby is a C.A.R.E. Club founder.