2021 Literacy Days Winners

NCSS Announces Winners of 2021 Literacy Days Competition
Posted on 01/04/2022
Winners from 3-5 grade contestThe Newton County School System (NCSS) is pleased to announce the winners of the 2021 District Literacy Days Recitation, Drama, Read Aloud, and Ready Writing competitions held in December at Newton County’s Porter Auditorium.

NCSS Elementary and middle schools held poetry competitions at their school and sent their grade level winners to participate in the district’s recitation contest. Competitors were judged on a number of criteria in the poetry recitation contest, including stage presence, articulation, interpretation, memory and accuracy, and difficulty of the piece.

RECITATION CONTEST WINNERS

Recitation Contest Winners
 GRADE   WINNER    SCHOOL    POEM 
Kindergarten    Kira Wright   Fairview Elementary   "Saw  My Teacher on a Saturday"
 1st Grade   Elon Burton   Heard-Mixon Elementary   "The Creature in the Classroom"
 2nd Grade   Brick Baker   Newton County Theme School    "Homework Stew"
 3rd Grade   Ella Burton   Heard-Mixon Elementary   "Sarah Cynthia Sylvia Stout Would Not Take the Garbage Out"
 4th Grade   Xander Wheeler   Live Oak Elementary   "Homework Stew"
 5th Grade   Loghan Dudley   Middle Ridge Elementary   "Invictus"
 6th Grade   Oliver Reid   Newton County Theme School   "Jabberwocky"
 7th Grade    Maren Poynter   Newton County Theme School   "The Builders"
 8th Grade    Nia Mickens-Mills
Clements Middle   "Phenomenal Woman"

SYSTEM READY WRITING COMPETITION WINNERS

In the Ready Writing competition, school-level champions were given a writing prompt and one hour to complete their essays. Students are scored on a rubric of six traits: ideas and content; organization; voice; word choice; sentence fluency; and conventions.

Ready Writing Winners
 GRADE   WINNER   SCHOOL   TITLE OF PIECE
 3rd Grade    Makhi Brown   Middle Ridge Elementary   "A Week with Abraham Lincoln"
 4th Grade    Journey Johnson   Oak Hill Elementary   "If  You Could Change the World"
 5th Grade    Sara Smallwood   Mansfield Elementary   "My Most Memorable Moment"
 6th Grade    Joellianna Saintil   Clements Middle   "Less Time in Front of the TV"
 7th Grade    Maren Poynter   Newton County Theme School   "New Class"
 8th Grade    Bailey Stover   Newton County Theme School   "Space Exploration"

SYSTEM READ ALOUD WINNERS

Students in kindergarten through second grade participated in the Read Aloud of Best Piece Contest in which students, with the teacher’s assistance, choose a piece from the student’s collected writings to read aloud to the judges. They were scored on topic, words, order, sentences, and articulation.

Read Aloud Winners
 GRADE   WINNER   SCHOOL   NAME OF PIECE
 Kindergarten    Jackson Connell   Oak Hill Elementary   "Who is Your Hero and Why?"
 1st Grade    Mallory Berger   East Newton Elementary   "Three Wishes"
 2nd Grade    Harris Hawver   Mansfield Elementary   "If I Could Change the World"

SYSTEM DRAMA TEAM WINNERS

The South Salem Elementary School drama team took first place honors in the K-2 drama competition with their performance of “Little Red Hen.” Cast members included Maliyah Bridges, Kendall Jones, Kalani Maddox, Brianna Rogers, and Jabaris Willis II. In the grade 3-5 competition, Live Oak Elementary earned the top award with their performance of “Charlotte’s Web.” Cast members included Rhakhaiyah Allen, Qourtney Graham, Roman McCormick, Mason Perry-Preddie, Karsyn Randle, Layla Smith, Jye Veasey, Xander Wheeler, and Nelani Jones. Clement’s Middle School’s drama team won top honors in the middle school competition with their performance of, “I Can’t Breathe.” Cast members included Skyy Lacy, Alejandro Pena, Tiana Watley, and Layla Walker.

Winners in all categories will now represent Newton County School System at the regional competition at Griffin RESA in February, 2022.

“The Literacy Days Competition provides students with the opportunity to perform and be recognized for their talents through the celebration of the arts,” said NCSS Superintendent Samantha Fuhrey. “I am proud of each and every one of our participants as it takes a tremendous amount of talent and commitment to participate in this type of competition. They represented their schools very well.”

She added, “In addition to our poetry recitation, read aloud, and drama team winners, our district ready writing winners are also very talented. I know Newton County School System will be well represented at the Griffin RESA Regional Literacy Days Festival.”

For more information, contact Ms. Sherri Partee, Director of Public Relations for Newton County Schools, at [email protected].

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