“Beginning this school year, Jerry McCollum, a fine art reproduction specialist in Everett, is donating art reproduction services worth over $8,000 to all 39 public high schools in Snohomish, Island, Skagit and San Juan Counties. Student winners of the new, annual McCollum Portfolio Award will have their artwork professionally photographed for their use in art school and college applications, art scholarships and other grant opportunities. High school students can apply for the award through their school’s regular awards program or by contacting their art instructor. More information about the award is available at the Web site, www.jmccollum.com/mpa.htm. Many prospective art students are turned away from college-level programs each year only because their art is not well represented in their portfolios, McCollum said. National competition for the best art schools favors students who can submit a high quality portfolio of work, most often in the form of reproduction quality slides and transparencies. The McCollum Portfolio Award is intended to give regional high school students a helping hand at a time in their careers when they can most use it, McCollum said.Our region’s young artists are as talented and dedicated as any in the world, says McCollum. They deserve the opportunity to show their artwork to its best advantage. “