2022 Literacy Days Winners

NCSS Announces 2022 Literacy Days Winners
Posted on 12/20/2022
student on stageThe Newton County School System (NCSS) is pleased to announce the winners of the 2022 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.

System Recitation Contest Winners
 GRADE   WINNER   SCHOOL   POEM
Kindergarten   Giovani Gibson   Porterdale Elementary   "The Pig"
1st Grade   Kalise Hampton   NC Theme School   "Mother to Son"
2nd Grade   Matthias Deacon   NC Theme School   "Sick"
3rd Grade   Lizeth Gonzalez Rodriguez   South Salem Elementary   "The Skiing Incident"
4th Grade   Alondra Pioquinto   South Salem Elementary   "Rapunzel, Rapunzel"
5th Grade   Xander Wheeler   Live Oak Elementary   "Touching the Sky"
6th Grade   Queen Johnson   Liberty Middle   "One Perfect Rose"
7th Grade   Tiana Watley   Clements Middle   "Shots Fired"
8th Grade   Maren Poynter   NC Theme School   "The Listeners"

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.

System Ready Writing Winners
 GRADE   WINNER   SCHOOL   TITLE OF PIECE
3rd Grade   Jaycee Combs   East Newton Elementary   "if I Could Go Back in Time"
4th Grade   Lowell Howard   NC Theme School   "If I Could Change the World"
5th Grade   Anthony Hortman   Oak Hill Elementary   "What's Your Most Memorable Day"
6th Grade   Alexander Munguia   Cousins Middle   "Less Time in Front of the TV"
7th Grade   Braxton Allen   Indian Creek Middle   "New Class"
8th Grade   Charles Henderson   Indian Creek Middle   "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.

System Read Aloud Winners
 GRADE   WINNER   SCHOOL   NAME OF PIECE
Kindergarten   Ian Coley
West Newton Elementary   "A Hero Is"
1st Grade   Carter Mills   Oak Hill Elementary   "If I Had Three Wishes"
2nd Grade   Justice Johnson   Oak Hill Elementary   "If You 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 “The Four Little Pigs.” Cast members included Alison Orellana-Segovia, Jaxon Lee, Yazmin White, Alaina Ford, Maya Monk, Layla Brown, Ayanna Hinds, John White III, Kendall Jones, and Mason Bridges. In the grade 3-5 competition, Porterdale Elementary earned the top award with their performance of “Mufaro’s Beautiful Daughters.” Cast members included Lamarion Battle, Anayi Burney, Skylar Hamerter, Torin Petty, Preston Moses, Cali Clemments, Lewis Meeks, Amir Abong, Alivia Winter, Jamir Boyd, and Faley Slaven. Clement’s Middle School’s drama team won top honors in the middle school competition with their performance of, “Cotton Candy on a Rainy Day.” Cast members included Jessica Benton, Mariah Edwards, Morgyn Gay, Carleigh Hardegree, Nelani Jones, Skyy Lacy, Khamaya Leary, Genesis Nash, and Kennedi Zachary.

Winners in all categories will now represent Newton County School System at the regional competition at Griffin RESA in February, 2023.

“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.”