Students’ suspenseful stories chosen for anthology

It seems our sixth grade students have a flair for the macabre and their vivid imaginations proved beneficial for the 2025 Fall Spook Squad writing contest! The work of 32 Meyersdale Middle School students has been selected to appear in an anthology published by Young Writers! Students were asked to write a “scary saga” using tension, suspense and atmosphere. These mini sagas were limited to 100 words or less.

These young authors received a certificate for their exemplary work and their stories will appear in a future publication entitled, “Spook Squad – Scary Sagas!”

Honorees and the titles of their original stories are as follows: Jasper Geisel, “The Death Maze”; Liam Stimmel, “The Monsters”; Chase McKenzie, “The Disappearance of 1912”; Alex Fisher, “The Man in the Window”; Brody Kelly, “The Spooky House”; Delainey Campbell, “Abandoned”; Elly Sines, “The Girl Who Went Missing and Never Came Back”; Faith Coddington, “The Girl Who Escaped”; Claire Miller, “Alone in the Woods”; Lane Youngblood, “The Boy in the Basement”; Torie Brown, “The Haunted Cabin in the Woods”; Dillon Troutman, “The Really Scary Night”; Abby Lepley, “The Scary House”; Sydney Romesburg, “The School”; Bo Smith, “The Woman in the Woods”; Caius Jensen, “Dark Curse”; Colton Yommer, “The Whispering Secrets”; Carter Bennett, “The Creature”; Lucas Sell, “The Screech”; Jacob Diehl, “The House on Willow Lane”; Valerie Sechler, “The Death of Me!”; Jaleigh Anderson, “The Mysterious Friend”; Romulo Gabuyo, “The Whispers in the Wind”; Ella Ferris, “They’re All Gone”; Lorenzo Valentine, “The Forest”; Noah Emerick, “The Boy in the Black Brick House”; Natalie Murray, “The Girl Who Vanishes on Halloween Night”; Tucker McCoy, “Siren Head Strikes Again”; Ashton Miller, “Millionaire’s Son Goes Missing”; Jazlynn Schreck, “The Mistake”; Erik Strait, “Freddy Fazbear’s Pizza”; and Emma Reisinger, “Nobody Said There was an Exit”.

“These students embraced the challenge of crafting imaginative, eerie, and suspenseful tales—and their hard work truly paid off. Each writer demonstrated remarkable creativity, strong storytelling skills, and a willingness to push their ideas beyond the ordinary. From unexpected plot twists to vivid descriptions that sent chills down our spines, their spooky stories stood out in all the best ways. I am excited to celebrate their achievement and can’t wait to see how they continue to shine as writers,” explained Mrs. Candace Donaldson, ELA teacher. “Congratulations to our amazing sixth grade storytellers! Your voices are powerful, your ideas are inspiring and I am so proud of you.”

Young Writers was established in 1991 and offers students of all ages opportunities to read, write and enjoy poetry as well as creative writing through contests and activities.