Okarche High School senior Carsyn Taylor has been recognized as a recipient of the 2020 Oklahoma State Superintendent’s Award for Arts Excellence.

Taylor, a four-year member of the Okarche speech and drama department, was one of 25 students statewide to receive the award in the field of theatre.

“The State Superintendent Awards for Arts Excellence are awarded to high school juniors and seniors who have achieved artistic and academic excellence and served their communities,” said Oklahoma State Superintendent of Education Joy Hofmeister. “The arts have great value and are an important component of a well-rounded education. Students who participate in the arts – whether music, drama, dance, or in visual media – acquire skills that transfer to other academic areas and carry forward into adulthood.”

Recipients must meet qualifying standards to be nominated by their teacher. Applications are then evaluated by a committee of arts educators, who select the recipients.

Taylor was a four-time cast member of Okarche’s contest one-act play, receiving all-regional cast honors twice.

A four-year qualifier to the regional speech and debate tournament and a three-time state speech tournament qualifier, Taylor missed the opportunity to qualify for the fourth time due to the coronavirus outbreak.

One of two senior class valedictorians, Taylor will attend Oklahoma State University in the fall.