DES MOINES – The Iowa Arts Council has awarded its highly coveted Iowa Scholarship for the Arts to four of the state’s most talented high school seniors. They include: Harbour Buchanan of Glenwood, Ella De Haan of Ankeny, Ella Hayden of Blairstown and Aidan Krell of West Burlington are the recipients of the prestigious award, which will help pay for part of their college education this fall.

The Iowa Scholarship for the Arts program supports Iowa high school students with proven artistic ability in dance, creative writing, music, theater, traditional arts or visual arts who plan to pursue a major in the arts at an accredited Iowa college or university. Each scholarship winner will receive $2,500 for his or her college tuition and related expenses as a full-time undergraduate student in 2022-2023.

“Each of this year’s scholarship recipients has demonstrated exceptional artistic promise and dedication to continuing to develop their skills and knowledge,” Iowa Arts Council Administrator David Schmitz said. “We are pleased they will continue their studies here in Iowa and pursue an education that will last them a lifetime and open up many career pathways, in the arts and other creative fields. ”

Harbour Buchanan of Glenwood has been playing the oboe since sixth grade, when her school started offering band classes. She will pursue a degree in music education at Iowa State University and hopes to teach high school band and give private lessons. She said performing music has helped her develop leadership and communication skills, as well as the compassion, trust and dedication needed to be successful in teaching.