NEW LONDON, N.H. — Superintendent Winfried Feneberg and Principal Charles Langille are pleased to announce that four Kearsarge Regional High School received top awards after recently competing in local and state writing competitions.
Three Kearsarge juniors — Katie Nowicki of Wilmot, Eliza Cardillo of New London, and Bella Foroohar of Warner — and sophomore Alaina Tilton, of Wilmot, recently competed in the inaugural Teen Writings Competition hosted by the Center for the Arts-Lake Sunapee Region. Students were able to submit work in one of three categories: Short Fiction, Creative Non-Fiction and Poetry.
Nowicki was awarded first place in the Creative Non-Fiction category for her essay “Borrowed Time”, which is about a family friend and personal hero who is battling amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).
Cardillo was awarded second place in the Creative Non-Fiction category for her essay “Vacationland” about her memories at her grandparent’s cottage in Maine.
Foroohar was awarded third place in the Creative Non-Fiction category for her essay “The Power of Positive Thinking” about her belief in positive thinking, which she attributes to her mother who continuously models optimism in her life.
Tilton was chosen as the runner up in the Short Fiction Category for her short story “Kieran”, a futuristic story about loss and surviving against impossible odds.
All four won a prize package from local businesses, will have their pieces published in the first edition of the Teen Writers Journal and be able to attend the winter sessions of the Center for the Arts’ winter session of the Teen Writers Workshop.
Cardillo was also awarded an honorable mention for her personal essay, “It’s Just a Sandwich” by the Scholastic Arts and Writing, New Hampshire Writing Region. Her story, which is a touching tribute to a family friend who lost her battle with cancer that reveals an epiphany in Cardillo’s life, was judged and selected by the National Writing Project out of Plymouth University. The essay will be published in The Middle High School Voice anthology.
Students worked on their pieces during a Writer’s Workshop offered by English teacher Lisa Cicoria during students’ flex period. The workshops serve as an enrichment opportunity for student writers, where they were able to work collaboratively and get feedback from Cicoria and their peers on their writing.
“Students are able to learn more about writing through this collaborative environment with their peers,” Cicoria said. “I’m beyond proud of them for sharing their work with a wider audience and entering in these competitions. These recognitions are well-deserved.”
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