Chewonki Middle School Students Honored in Regional Writing Contests

Four students from the 7|8th grade class at Chewonki Middle School have received recognition for their exceptional writing in regional writing contests. Two students won first and second place for their creative nonfiction submissions in the Patten Free Library’s 9th Annual Writing Contest.

Frances DeGeer: First place for her piece “Me”
Harper Nelson: Second place for “Peaks Island Vignette”.

The school is so proud of these students for this outstanding achievement! For the first time ever, the contest accepted creative nonfiction submissions and received more than 50 entries in each category. The judges, including Patten Free Library staff, the PFL Teen Library Council, and community members, were impressed with the quality of the pieces submitted this year. Frances and Harper’s writing will be available for public viewing on the Patten Free Library website starting on Wednesday, February 1st.

In addition, three 8th grade students were recognized for their exceptional writing skills in the Alliance for Young Artists & Writers: Scholastic Writing Competition, known as the “nation’s most prestigious recognition program for creative teens.” Let’s congratulate the following students for this exciting achievement:

Cadence Balbo Towle: Silver Key in Personal Essay & Memoir for “A Series of Vignettes”
Francis DeGeer: Silver Key in Personal Essay & Memoir for “A Series of Vignettes”
Acadia Guliani: Honorable Mention in Poetry for “Home”

The 7th and 8th grade class at Chewonki Middle School worked hard on creating meaningful vignettes and poems that showcased their personal identity and connection to home and family. To enhance their writing skills, the class studied “The House on Mango Street” by Sandra Cisneros to understand the importance of word choice, sentence structure, and literary devices. The students honed their writing skills by focusing on craft and reducing their work to its essential elements. “

Photo (left to right): Francis DeGeer (Grade 8), Harper Nelson (Grade 7), Cristine Bachor (Grades 7&8 Lead Teacher), Cadence Balbo Towle (Grade 8), Acadia Guliani (Grade 8)