Five North High School students earned Midwest Region Scholastic Art & Writing Awards for creative writing. These awards are accepted and judged by the Belin-Blank Center within the College of Education at the University of Iowa.
Senior Madeline Riske earned a Gold Key, the highest recognition, for her poetry submission, “A Forbidden Prayer.” Her entry has advanced to national judging and awards will be announced this spring.
“We are overjoyed to celebrate Madeline Riske, Christina Powell, Grace Beacom, Madison Smith, and Rebecca Orjala,” says English teacher Lauren Schlesinger. “All five of these senior writers sharpened their craft during our Creative Writing course and worked countless hours outside of school to draft, re-write, confer, edit, and revise their poems and stories for the 2022 Scholastic Writing competition. I am confident that each of these seniors will continue writing beyond Downers Grove North and further develop their careers as skilled writers and accomplished poets.”
Senior students at North High School in Downers Grove receiving Scholastic Art & Writing Awards include:
- Grace Beacom
- Poetry, The Garden, Silver Key
- Poetry, The Garden, Silver Key
- Christina Powell
- Novel Writing, The War for One, Silver Key
- Poetry, Hidden Identities, Silver Key
- Flash Fiction, The Green Umbrella, Honorable Mention
- Writing Portfolio, 2021 Progress Watch, Honorable Mention
- Madeline Riske
- Poetry, A Forbidden Prayer, Gold Key
- Novel Writing, Witchhunted, Silver Key
- Poetry, Coffee Black (Daybreak), Silver Key
- Poetry, Day of Reckoning, Silver Key
- Short Story, Lake Vermilion, Silver Key
- Writing Portfolio, Handheld Epiphanies, Honorable Mention
- Madison Smith
- Short Story, The Underpass, Honorable Mention
- Short Story, The Underpass, Honorable Mention
- Rebecca Orjala
- Poetry, envy, Honorable Mention
- Poetry, garden of life, Honorable Mention
- Poetry, the girl who caught the stars, Honorable Mention
For more information about the Regional Scholastic Art & Writing Awards, click here.