Snow sculpture event attracting growing number of high school teams

A dozen teams of high school students -- more than before -- took their sculpting skills to Randhurst Shopping Center in Mount Prospect over the weekend for the fourth annual Snow Sculpting Competition.

The record number of high school competitors mirrored an increase in the number of professional artists -- 15 teams this year -- and a boom in the attendance, estimated at 75,000 people this year, according to Fran Volz, competition director.

The teens made the transition from their art classrooms to the outdoors nicely, and they are learning how to work with snow as a sculpting medium, Volz said.

"It's amazing how they used their imaginations," he said. "Some of these are real beauties."

Visitors were drawn to both the professional sculptures, made out of 10-foot tall blocks of snow by teams from all Illinois, Wisconsin and Michigan as well as Holland and Canada, and the high school creations, from teams across the suburbs as well as several from Marengo.

"It's amazing to see all of these, and to think that it's all made out of snow," said Stephen Pontrelli of Hanover Park. "I mean there's so much detail. You can make out the bark on the trees, and even the trim on a coat."

For more details on the contest, including pictures of all the sculptures crafted this year, visit www.snowvisions.com.

Rolling Meadows, first place

A team of Rolling Meadows High School students won the division, with their entry named, "Wolf." They transformed the 6-foot block of snow into the head of a howling wolf, aimed at the sky.

Senior Julie Fry of Mount Prospect led the team which also included her sister, Hanna Fry, as well as Gary Fritz and James Bingaman in crafting the intricate design.

"Our biggest challenge was getting it to look furry," Julie Fry said. "It's hard to make snow look fluffy like fur."

Fremd High School, second place

The defending teen champions from Fremd High School took second place for their sculpture called "The Great Escape," depicting a lobster tail in a boiling pot of water.

Thomas Wall led a team that also included Daniel Klaisner, Jaclynn Macek, and Emily Smietana.

"We just didn't want the tail to fall off," said Macek, of the lobster's tail sticking out of the pot. "It opens up the piece, and makes it more appealing, and we knew we couldn't reattach it, if it fell off."

Palatine High School third place

Palatine High School students placed third with their design, called "Shark & Fish," featuring a fish in the mouth of a shark, and surrounded by waves.

Senior Paul Buttita lead the team, that included Aaron Johnson, Sarah Benea and Lauren Gaeding. All four were chosen from their respective art classes to participate and represent the school, and they said they found an immediate rapport working together.

"Our biggest challenge was creating the negative space inside the shark's mouth, and between the fish and the shark," Buttita said, "but overall, it was a good chance to experiment with a lot of detail."

The competition

Nine other high school teams competed, including a second one from Palatine High School, which created a whimsical storybook wrapped around the trunk of a tree, that they called, "Alice in Wonderland."

Team members included Kevin Finger, Susy Garcia, Katerina Walker and Ashley Griffith.

While they scaled back some of the detail from their original design, they had to adapt their ideas, to work in the snow.

"We all liked fairy tales and drawing little kids," Griffith said. "When we were working with it though, we had to add water (at the base) to support the book, so it wouldn't collapse."

Marengo High School sent two teams of students to create their snow sculptures. Last year, one of its teams medaled, placing third.

Brianna Viktora led one of its team, that also included Rosa Ortega, Stephanie Guerra and Eryn Cisneros. Together they designed one of the only sculptures that wasn't an animal or an inanimate object. Instead, they created a "Fallen Angel."

"We wanted to try carving the human figure," Viktora said. "It was our first year, and we just basically went for something we thought was pretty."

The other Marengo High School team included David Stout, Nicole Johnson, Jessica Beaudoin and Liz Coffey. They sculpted a difficult piece, called "Ouroboros."

Named for the ancient symbol of a serpent swallowing its own tail, they positioned it in a serpentine design, using lots of negative space, and having to deal with the prickly issue of keeping the serpent standing.

Students from the Vanguard School in Arlington Heights have participated every year. This year, two teams of students participated. Stephanie Murzyn led a group that included Tommy Barhumes, Amber Wren and Kyle Stortenbecker. They called their sculpture of a penguin dancing, "Watch My Feet."

"When we worked with it in clay, it was impossible to get him to stand," Wren said. "But then we realized if we used his tail as a base, it would act as another leg. So, when we carved it in snow, everyone was amazed that we got it to stand."

The other Vanguard team was led by Art Dlugopolski, and included Matt McDonald, K.T. Webb, and Tony Soto. They sculpted a portrait of a polar bear and its cub, which they called, "On Thin Ice."

"This one gave us a chance to work more with the fine detail," their classmate, Wren added, "and blocking out the negative space."

A Conant High School team led by Jeff Gordon, and including Colin McDaniel, Don Dopka and Garrett Luzcak, drew the funniest reaction from the crowd, with their sculpture, called "Shark Attack."

It featured a shark diving into the tank of a toilet, with its head -- including its open mouth and teeth -- coming out of the toilet seat.

"We get some pretty nice sketches," Volz said of their rendering, "but when I saw this, I had to laugh."

Another group of Conant High School students thought of ice cream when sculpting with snow. Led by Brianne Sochacki and including Jon Rapp, Katherine Liner and James Samargis, they called their design, "Just Dessert."

They fashioned a 6-foot tall ice cream sundae with their block of snow, presented in a tall fountain dish, with a dessert topping, cherry, and even a cookie stick for extra measure.

Buffalo Grove High School students entered a sculpture they called, "Griffin." Led by Anna Karwowska, and including Daniel Betsios, Justina Babinska and Cuong Nguyen, they recreated the legendary figure of a hippogriff, that is thought to be the offspring of a griffin and a mare.

True to its medieval description, students shaped theirs to include animal's head of an eagle, claws armed with talons, and wings covered with feathers, while the rest of its body looked like that of a horse.

Schaumburg High School students were led by senior Yessenia Busurto, and included Wesley Grace, Sam D'Andrea, and Domenic D'Andrea. They created a design, called "Paint The Town," that featured the Chicago skyline painted onto the side of a paint can.

"It definitely turned out to be more difficult than we thought," said their art teacher, Gerry James. "We thought that if we used a simple geometric shape, it would be easier. But it's incredibly difficult to make a perfect geometric shape out of snow.

"One little imperfection, and it looked a little off," James added. "We would have been better using an animate object, where there would have been more give. All in all, it was very challenging, and we definitely learned a lot."