4 R.C. Murphy Students Earn Writing Accolades

STONY BROOK, NY — Four students of R.C. Murphy Junior High School have earned high honors in the Scholastic Art and Writing Regional Award contest as a result of their exceptional original literary works, the Three Village Central School District announced. The contest is offered by the Alliance for Young Artists and Writers.

The school district congratulated the following Murphy students and wished the best of luck to Shirley, as her short story will be judged at the national level:

• Shirley Xiong - Gold Key Short Story "Fourteen Nails" (Top 1-5 percent in Northeast region)
• Manasa Chimpiri - Honorable Mention Poetry “tryst” (Top 12-15 percent in Northeast region)
• Rachel Rose - Honorable Mention Poetry “Dear Arts” (Top 12-15 percent in Northeast region)
• Alivia Yang - Honorable Mention Flash Fiction “Bella Donna” (Top 12-15 percent in Northeast region)

Students in grades 7 through 12 are invited to submit art or writing in 28 categories in the annual contest. Students' entries are judged by leaders in the visual and literary arts, including many Scholastic Awards alumni.

Jurors look for works that exemplify the awards’ core values: originality, technical skill, and the emergence of personal voice or vision. All entries are considered for Gold Key, Silver Key, Honorable Mention, American Visions Nominee and American Voices Nominee Awards. Regional Gold Key winners are invited to have their works advance to the national level of the competition for additional awards and honors.