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**State-level
winners are listed below; click
here to read their winning entries. Click
here for a list of grade-level winners in each RESA district.
July 9, 2015
– Thirteen Georgia
students have been named state-level winners of the 2014-2015 Young
Georgia Authors writing competition, an annual competition sponsored by the
Georgia Department of Education and the Georgia Council of
Teachers of English. GaDOE and GCTE also named grade-level winners in every
Regional Education Service Agency (RESA) district.
The Young
Georgia Authors Contest encourages students to develop enthusiasm for and
expertise in their writing, provides a context to celebrate writing successes,
and recognizes student achievement in arts and academics. The competition has
been engaging Georgia students for more than two decades and is open to any
student currently enrolled in Georgia’s public schools, grades K-12.
Unlike many
writing competitions, the Young Georgia Authors competition does not require
students to respond to a specific prompt, and does not place any boundaries on
students’ genre choice or creativity beyond a five-page maximum length.
Students may submit short stories, poetry, essays/literary criticism/analysis,
journalism, academic/research reports, personal narratives and any other
original writing.
This year’s
winning entries ranged from free verse to short stories, and varied in subject
from a first-person description of the journey of a sea turtle to a guide on
making it through the “worst day ever.” Students wrote about a wide swath of
characters, from talking wolves to an old man named Filbert.
“I want to
congratulate these student winners and all those who entered the 2014-2015
Young Georgia Authors writing competition,” State School Superintendent Richard
Woods said. “Reading, writing and literacy are so important; in many ways, they
are the foundation for all other educational achievement. These students are
shining stars in that area – I am so proud of each of them and enjoyed reading
their excellent work.”
State
Winners:
Kindergarten:
“Animal Friends” by Haley Harlow, Manning Oaks Elementary School, Fulton County
First Grade:
“Animals” by Charlie Beckler, Westwood Elementary School, Dalton Public Schools
Second Grade:
“The Worst Day” by Jada Smith, Austin Road Elementary School, Henry County
Third Grade: “Why
the Beaver Has a Flat Tail” by Callie Viktora, Adairsville Elementary School,
Bartow County
Fourth Grade:
“How the Rain Came to Be in the Sky” by Summer Statham, Jackson Elementary
School, Butts County
Fifth Grade:
“The Dinglehopper Mystery” by Jessie Hutcheson, Eastside Elementary School,
Coffee County
Sixth Grade:
“The Journey of a Sea Turtle” by Lawson W. Brinkley, Scholars Academy,
Thomasville City Schools
Seventh
Grade: “The Devil’s Favorite Fragrance” by JaNoy Sumner, Waycross Middle
School, Ware County
Eighth Grade:
“A Slightly Sinister Faction” by Seung-Toon Baek, Lee Middle School, Coweta
County
Ninth Grade:
“Memoir” by Gillian O’Bryant, White County 9th Grade Academy, White County
Tenth Grade:
“The Lesson of Love” by Lauren Howell, Columbus High School, Muscogee County
Eleventh
Grade: “Paper Birds” by Rowen Quisenberry, Eagle’s Landing High School, Henry
County
Twelfth
Grade: “Writing” by Sarah Cordero, Northwest High School, Whitfield County