Newton County School System (NCSS) is pleased to announce the grade-level winners of the 2024 District Young Georgia Authors Competition. Unlike many writing competitions, Young Georgia Authors does not provide a prompt to which students must respond or provide any other boundaries to their genre choice or creativity beyond a 1900-word maximum length. Entries may include short stories, poetry, essays, journalism, academic research reports, personal narratives, and any other original student writing. Judges looked for expression of ideas, language use, and unique perspective and voice. All district winners will now have their written work forwarded for consideration in the regional Young Georgia Authors Competition.
NCSS Chief Academic Officer Benjamin Roundtree expressed his congratulations to the winners and underscored the significance of strong writing skills. He stated, "Congratulations to each of the winners in the Young Georgia Authors contest. Proficient writing is a critical skill that serves as a gateway to improved grades and heightened academic success. Moreover, as students venture into the workforce and navigate their career paths, the ability to write effectively becomes a key asset. I commend these students for their outstanding achievements. Our school district is undoubtedly home to some incredibly talented writers, and I extend my best wishes to them as they embark on the next phase of the competition."
Newton County Schools’ grade-level winners are:
Young Georgia Authors Winners
| GRADE |
|
SCHOOL |
|
STUDENT |
|
TITLE OF WORK |
| Kindergarten |
|
Mansfield Elementary |
|
Ava Egeland |
|
"The Best Christmas" |
| 1st Grade |
|
Newton County STEAM Academy |
|
Grace Benefield |
|
"Plip Plop!" |
| 2nd Grade |
|
Porterdale Elementary |
|
Akari Roach'e |
|
"The Scary Ghost" |
| 3rd Grade |
|
Newton County STEAM Academy |
|
Caleb Hodges |
|
"The Day I Got Stuck..." |
| 4th Grade |
|
South Salem Elementary |
|
Hawa Sagara |
|
"Coin" |
| 5th Grade |
|
South Salem Elementary |
|
Autumn Jarvis |
|
"Dark Skin Girl" |
| 6th Grade |
|
Clements Middle |
|
Sebastien Paler |
|
"The Trials" |
| 7th Grade |
|
Newton County STEAM Academy |
|
Elise Bray |
|
"Dectecies #1: The First Mission" |
| 8th Grade |
|
Liberty Middle |
|
Payton Tremblay |
|
"Inevitability" |
| 9th Grade |
|
Newton High |
|
Sam Paler |
|
"Silver Lined Skies" |
| 10th Grade |
|
Newton High |
|
Victoria Barrett |
|
"I Am Not an Angry Black Woman" |
| 11th Grade |
|
Eastside High |
|
Malorie Jackson |
|
"Rain" |
| 12th Grade |
|
Newton College & Career Academy |
|
Yankiel Guevara Garrido |
|
"The Graveyard" |