The historic Stone Hall at the Miner’s Foundry was buzzing with creative energy at the Nevada County Writing Tournament. The area’s most promising 7th and 8th grade students from 12 different schools gathered to compete in this event, hosted by the Nevada County Superintendent of Schools.
The students were judged on three styles of writing:
- Creative Writing: The students wrote stories in response to the prompt: “You find a backpack that allows you to time travel, but only to your own past.”
- Informative Writing: Author, Kim Culbertson, gave a presentation about her experiences getting her books published. Following the speech, the students were asked to write an essay describing the pathways to publishing
- Persuasive Letter Writing: Students were asked to write a letter to their principal for or against banning phones at school.
Tournament Coordinator, Shannon Rashby said, “I love the moment a student realizes that they have a special gift. This year was our biggest year since Covid and watching forty-six young authors walk away truly believing in their talent was the highlight of the event. It’s about so much more than a trophy, it’s about changing the way students see themselves.”
Winners:
Overall winners for highest collective score from 3 written assignments:
7th Grade: Sadie Kingsford, Magnolia
8th Grade: Dylan Prouty, Seven Hills
Creative Writing Winners:
7th Grade:
1st Place: Elsa Gray, Union Hill
2nd Place: Aila Totoonchie, Twin Ridges
3rd Place: Hazel Costa, Seven Hills
4th Place: Sadie Kingsford, Magnolia
5th Place: Kadence Glauner, Lyman Gilmore
8th Grade:
1st Place: Madelaine Hesse, Mt. St. Mary’s
2nd Place: Dylan Prouty, Seven Hills
3rd Place: Ryan McKissick, Nevada City School of the Arts
4th Place: Scarlet Brown, Forest Charter School
5th Place: Estelle Sher, Grass Valley Charter
Informative Writing Winners:
7th Grade:
1st Place: Elsa Gray, Union Hill
2nd Place: Hazel Costa, Seven Hills
3rd Place: Sadie Kingsford, Magnolia
4th Place: Micah Rahm, Forest Charter
5th Place (tie): Aria Gray, Mt. St. Mary’s
5th Place (tie): Grace Flemmer, Magnolia
8th Grade:
1st Place: Dylan Prouty, Seven Hills
2nd Place: Georgie Pearson, Clear Creek
3rd Place: Maylee Law, Union Hill
4th Place: Ryan McKissick, Nevada City School of the Arts
5th Place: Vera Crane, Grass Valley Charter
Persuasive Letter Writing Winners:
7th Grade:
1st Place: Sadie Kingford, Magnolia
2nd Place: Kadence Glauner, Lyman Gilmore
3rd Place: Lilikoi Doleman, Grass Valley Charter
4th Place: Brynn Jones, Seven Hills
5th Place: Hazel Costa, Seven Hills
8th Grade:
1st Place: Owen Alonso, Seven Hills
2nd Place: Eva Shepard, Yuba River Charter
3rd Place: Dylan Prouty, Seven Hills
4th Place: Violet Jackson, Union Hill
5th Place: Vera Crane, Grass Valley Charter