Bob Jones scribes earn gold, silver with Scholastic Arts & Writing Awards

“Most importantly, winners become eligible for scholarships at universities who have partnered with Scholastic Arts & Writing,” Brandy Panagos said.

MADISON – Student writers at Bob Jones High School now share credentials with the likes of Sylvia Plath, Andy Warhol and Robert Redford.

Those celebrities and the Madison teenagers all have received nods from Scholastic Arts & Writing Awards, an annual regional and national venue for young writers and visual artists.

“Most importantly, winners become eligible for scholarships at universities who have partnered with Scholastic Arts & Writing,” Brandy Panagos said. Panagos teaches creative writing, multimedia design and multimedia publications at Bob Jones.

Students can enter work in categories for portfolio, humor, short story, flash fiction, science fiction/fantasy, poetry, dramatic writing, journalism and personal essay.

Among the regional award winners for 2013-2014, Sarah Buckelew submitted poetry and Mary Butgereit entered her portfolio to earn Gold Key status. The Scholastic organization awards the Gold Key as its highest recognition, followed by the Silver Key honor and honorable mentions.

Kristie Martins received a Gold Key in journalism and silver key for flash fiction. Sabrina Chen’s work earned a Gold Key for poetry and journalism and Silver Key for short story and memoir.

Alyssa Kennedy’s personal essay rated gold and her poetry, dramatic script and science fiction rated silver. Emily Bohatch received a Silvery Key for short story.

Also earning silver were Casey Marley, journalism; Lauryn Rody, poetry; and Madelyn Wong, short story. For her personal essay, Megan McDowell received honorable mention.

This national competition started as a minor contest in 1923 with six individuals competing for a $5 prize. Today, more than 90,000 students in grades 7-12 across the United States submit more than 185,000 works of art and writing in 28 categories (scholastic.com).

Professionals in each discipline judge the work. Scholastic Arts & Writing will announce their national medallists on March 17.

For more information, visit artandwriting.org.