Suffolk Reporter

Three students from William Floyd High School have been recognized for their artistic talents in the Town of Brookhaven's fifth annual Lunar New Year Art Show. The event, held in collaboration with the Asian American Association of Greater Stony Brook and the Asian American Native Hawaiian Pacific Islander Advisory Board, invited young artists to create works inspired by the 2025 Lunar New Year and the Year of the Snake.

Isabella Humberstone, James Start, and Coco Wang, all students in Theresa Bianco’s Portfolio Preparation class, were awarded first through third place respectively in the grades 10-12 category. Their winning pieces were selected from a pool of 50 student-artists across Long Island.

Humberstone's piece, "Four Leaf Year Snake," earned her first place. She explained her work: “I have drawn four leaves to represent the four seasons. The green color represents the Asian vine snake native to China. I wanted the snake to be long and winding to represent the length of the whole year.”

James Start took second place with his artwork titled "The Mystical, Meandering Serpent." He described his inspiration: “My artwork is heavily based on the symbolism behind the Chinese zodiac snake. I added the camellia flower; the snakes meander downward. The traditional writing at the bottom explains how the Chinese zodiac snake is mysterious and misunderstood."

Coco Wang received third place for "Guardian of Balance." She shared her concept: “The snake coils around Yin and Yang as the guardian of nature. The snake becomes the core of the drawing being red and guardian of the spirit of Yin and Yang."

In addition to these winners, four other William Floyd students—Savannah Klein, Madison Orlando, Hannah Schultzer, and Khrys Zapata—had their artworks displayed at Brookhaven Town Hall's art gallery throughout January and part of February.

All participating students attended an award ceremony on February 2 where they received certificates of appreciation from Brookhaven Town Office.