NILES — Natalie Rarick, a freshman at Edwardsburg High School, has been named a Michigan Youth Arts Distinguished Scholar in the Creative Writing interdisciplinary category and has been invited to participate in the 54th annual Michigan Youth Arts Festival, May 12-14, in Kalamazoo.

Natalie has been very active at South Bend Civic Theatre for many years, appearing on stage in over a dozen productions and is member of the Civic Youth Conservatory. She is also currently working on writing an adaptation of a video game for a new play. As a member of the teen group from the Michiana Writers’ Center, she has also participated in Art Beat, reading her short story as part of the DTSB presentation last summer.

Nearly 1,000 Michigan high school student artists have been invited to attend this year’s Festival. The students, chosen from a pool of more than 250,000 across the state, are selected via a rigorous adjudication process adhering to exacting artistic standards. The invited scholars represent multiple artistic disciplines, including creative writing, dance, film/video, instrumental and vocal music, music composition, theatre, and visual art.

“Michigan Youth Arts is honored to host this annual event because it not only encourages artistic excellence at the high school level, but also creates an awareness of the importance of art in the lives of Michigan residents,” Marianne Dorais, executive director said. “The extraordinary talent of our Distinguished Scholars, whether as vocalists, actors, dancers, musicians or artists, is something of which the entire state can be proud.”

This year marks the 54th anniversary of this three-day event, featuring workshops and master classes for the students, alongside more than 20 student performances and exhibitions that are open to the public.