Fox Chapel Area students win regional and national writing awards
Fox Chapel Area High School sophomore Veronika McCarl (right) and freshman Rebecca Dorneich (left) both won Gold Medals at the national level.
Fox Chapel Area High School sophomore Veronika McCarl and freshman Rebecca Dorneich both won Gold Medals at the national level. Veronika won for her poem, “The Stillness That Knows Too Much,” and Rebecca won for her flash fiction writing, “The Half-Life of a Hug.” This year, more than 110,000 submissions were submitted for the national contest, and only 2% received awards at the national level. Select national medalists will be honored at a ceremony at Carnegie Hall in New York City on June 10.
At the Pittsburgh Region Scholastic Writing Awards, Gold Keys were won by Fox Chapel Area High School sophomore Veronika McCarl (3 Gold Keys), and freshmen Rebecca Dorneich and Jack Teschke; and Dorseyville Middle School eighth-graders Emily Dean, Samuel Ettinger (2 Gold Keys), and Laila Tobe. All six of these Fox Chapel Area School District students qualified for national judging.
Silver Keys were awarded to junior Nadre Digbohou; sophomores Veronika McCarl (10 Silver Keys), Amelia Tedesco, and Divya Thirumala (3 Silver Keys); freshmen Kai Galyardt (3 Silver Keys), Celestial Hou (2 Silver Keys), Layla Niggel, Rebecca Smith, and Jack Teschke; eighth-graders Elodie Clark, Samuel Ettinger (3 Silver Keys), Soleil Muller, and Simon Schmidt; and seventh-graders Norah Delaney and Evelyn Singh.
Honorable Mentions went to seniors Arman Alborzi, Ori Goldin, and Emma Kuhns; juniors Nadre Digbohou and Logan Rapp; sophomores Veronika McCarl (2 Honorable Mentions), Amelia Tedesco, and Eliana Wellman; freshmen Anaia Shehzad (2 Honorable Mentions), Rebecca Smith, and Jack Teschke; and eighth-graders Madelyn Burgess, Rosario Echeverria Conte, Samuel Ettinger (4 Honorable Mentions), Seth Gibson, Aarya Senn, Nora Spector, and Sarey Winston.
Hundreds of submissions spanning a variety of different genres of writing were received from students in grades 7-12 from across Allegheny County. The local competition is sponsored by the Point Park University Honors Program, which hosted a regional recognition ceremony for the winners in March at the Pittsburgh Playhouse.
The Scholastic Art & Writing Awards is the nation’s longest-running, most prestigious recognition program for creative teens.