Cherokee Students Advance To Young Authors State Competition

CHEROKEE COUNTY, GA — Cherokee County School District students are advancing to the state level of the Young Georgia Authors Writing Competition.

The annual writing contest is open to students in grades kindergarten through 12 and provides an opportunity for schools to encourage writing in a variety of genres. Each Cherokee County school submits a top entry for each grade level to compete at the district level. The district winners then advance to regional competition for the opportunity to compete statewide.

The five Cherokee County students who won first-place in the regional competition and move on to state are:

• Bascomb Elementary kindergartener Ryan Seaman for “The White Rainbow”
• Hickory Flat Elementary third-grader Quincy Thompson for “A Bigger Plan”
• Indian Knoll Elementary fifth-grader Lauren Budde for “Crash”
• Cherokee High sophomore Anna Scott Wieler for “The Lows of Highline Trail”
• Cherokee High junior Emily Geer for “Escape from Mirkbase”

“Congratulations to our young authors for their local and regional achievements,” Superintendent Brian Hightower said. “Writing is a foundational skill we want every student to master, and we’re so proud of these winners for their excellence in creative writing. We wish them the best as they compete at state, as we know they’re deserving of high honors.”

Cherokee County first-place district winners are:

• Kindergarten: Ryan Seaman, Bascomb Elementary for “The White Rainbow”
• Grade 1: Cannon Paul, Bascomb Elementary for “Teddy and His Teddy”
• Grade 2: Logan Woods, Woodstock Elementary for “The Magic Rose”
• Grade 3: Quincy Thompson, Hickory Flat Elementary for “A Bigger Plan”
• Grade 4: Flarity Hedlund, Little River Elementary for “The Real Story of the Real Little Pigs”
• Grade 5: Lauren Budde, Indian Knoll Elementary for “Crash”
• Grade 6: David Andrew Hudson, Creekland Middle for “The Fur”
• Grade 7: Keelin Murray, Woodstock Middle for “It Makes my Heart Smile”
• Grade 8: Matthew Taylor, Teasley Middle for “The Knock Upon my Mirror”
• Grade 9: Madeline May, Etowah High for “Survivor”
• Grade 10: Anna Scott Wieler, Cherokee High for “The Lows of Highline Trail”
• Grade 11: Emily Geer, Cherokee High for “Escape from Mirkbase”
• Grade 12: Sophie Abbott, Woodstock High for “Scenes From an Italian Restaurant”

Following the state level judging, the district first-place winners all will be recognized, with additional recognition for region and state winners, by the Cherokee County School Board and superintendent at a school board meeting later this school year.