freeholder patricia sebold and the freeholder board honor livingston high school recipients of the new jersey governors award for arts in education

Livingston High School 2020 Graduate – Ian Hurrel and Livingston High School Senior Class of 2021 – Joyce He

(Newark, NJ) – The Essex County Board of Chosen Freeholders recently honored 2020 Livingston High School graduate Ian Hurrel and current Livingston High School Senior Joyce He, for being named recipients of the 2020 New Jersey Governor’s Award for Arts in Education. This award was first given in 1980 to promote awareness and appreciation of the arts, and to recognize the creativity, talent and leadership of the award winners. Each year, awards are presented to approximately 20 educators and 80 students. National and statewide organizations select the students for their exemplary work in creative writing, speech, dance, music, theatre and visual arts.

Longtime Livingston resident and Freeholder At-Large Patricia Sebold introduced the resolution, which was sponsored by the entire Board. Due to the gathering restrictions of the coronavirus pandemic, the students received their awards virtually on June 26, 2020, at the War Memorial in Trenton, New Jersey, and framed Commendations from the Board were delivered to their residence.

Ian Hurrel graduated from Livingston High School – class of 2020.  He started taking guitar lessons in 6th grade at the local music shop and in 9th grade he was accepted in the high school’s Lancer Jazz Band, where he discovered jazz for the first time. He excelled throughout high school and participated in the New Jersey All-State Jazz ensemble and the New Jersey Regional ensemble each year, and was All-Eastern his junior year. He joined the marching band, playing tenor sax, trombone and drum kit from his sophomore year to senior year. He also played guitar in the pit orchestra for Livingston High School’s yearly musicals. In the fall, he will be studying Electrical Engineering at Georgia Institute of Technology and plans to continue independently studying and performing music.

Joyce He is currently a senior at Livingston High School. She is a writer whose work has been recognized by the Scholastic Art and Writing Awards, the National Council of Teachers of English, and the New Jersey Council of Teachers of English.  Her work also appears or is forthcoming in Eunoia Review, Blue Marble Review and Bitter Melon Magazine. She will be serving as Editor-in-Chief of her school’s literary magazine in the 2020-2021 school year.  In addition to writing, she is passionate about graphic design, having designed flyers, t-shirts, and brochures for several clubs and organizations.  She also served as graphic designer for her school’s National Art Honor Society. In her spare time, she enjoys reading, playing the drums, and listening to music.  She remains undecided in her college and career plans but would like to pursue an interdisciplinary career involving language and science.