Beacon eighth-graders excel in national writing contest

A group of 28 talented eighth-graders from Beacon Middle School has been recognized for their exceptional storytelling skills in the prestigious Young Writers USA creative writing contest. Their imaginative works stood out among 50,000 entries nationwide, earning them well-deserved accolades.

The competition, which encourages students to express their creativity through poetry and short fiction, received an overwhelming response this year. The students who have been selected will have their works published in Young Writers USA’s “Fright Club – Nightmares and Night Scares,” to be released in April.

Young Writers USA aims to inspire and nurture young authors by providing them with a platform to share their work with a broader audience. “This contest required students to write a 100 word mini-essay using a fright theme,” said Dr. Christopher Maddox, an English language arts teacher at Beacon. “It fit perfectly with the goals of our American Reading Company curriculum, so we decided to move forward with the contest as a final project for the students. We were hopeful that some of them would have the chance to have their work published, and are very excited that this has become a reality for 28 of them.”

“We are incredibly proud of our students for showcasing their creativity and passion for writing,” said Kelly Slavoski, an eighth-grade ELA teacher at Beacon. “This achievement showcases the students’ ability to apply specific goals and techniques they’ve learned in class, and to then produce a creative piece unique to them.”

To learn more, email info@youngwritersusa.com or go to youngwritersusa.com.