A photograph of her great-grandfather served as inspiration for an award-winning sculpture by Wantagh High School junior Rose Fioribello. Her submission into the Levittown VFW Auxiliary’s Young American Creative Patriotic Art Contest earned her a $1,000 scholarship and advancement to state-level judging. 

The picture of her great-grandfather, which is framed in her grandmother’s house, is of him in his Army uniform from his service in World War II. Rose said that he was a driver for generals on the battlefield. Her sculpture is a vase that resembles an Army boot.

As an avid hiker who owns multiple pairs of hiking boots, Rose said she decided to focus on his combat footwear when creating the sculpture. The biggest challenge was creating it in the two-week timeframe once she learned of the contest from her art teacher, Jaclyn Gentilesco. 

Rose made the sculpture in school, which included molding the clay, letting it dry, putting it in the kiln and painting it. She even added a shoelace from one of her hiking boots. At home, she made flowers to fill the vase before dropping off the sculpture and application in person at the Levittown VFW hall. The flowers were red poppies, a symbol of remembrance for those who have served and died in war. 

After receiving notice that she won at the local level, Rose was invited to an awards ceremony and was joined by Assistant Principal Dr. Christopher Widmann, who first learned about the contest. Her sculpture was then sent to the state-level for judging and she is currently awaiting the results. If she advances, it would then go to the national level with an opportunity to win additional scholarship money. Her local win also meant a $250 prize for the school, which was given to the art department. 

“It feels pretty cool,” she said of winning the contest. “This is the first time any of my art has won anything. “It feels nice to be good at something and to have other people appreciate it.”

Judges described her sculpture as a “truly profound work of art” and noted the significance of military footwear as a symbol of camaraderie, determination, practicality, resiliency and strength.  

Rose took Introduction to Media Arts as a ninth grader and Graphic Design Level 1 in 10th grade. This year she is enrolled in both Graphic Design Level 2 and Advanced Sculpture. As a senior, she will take Advanced Placement Graphic Design and AP 3-Dimensional Art, with plans to pursue a degree in graphic design after graduation. Her high school art classes are where her passion really blossomed and made her serious about a career in the arts.