CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- A Jefferson County School (JCS) middle school student placed first in the WVDE's (West Virginia Department of Education) annual Young Writers Contest. Macie White, a sixth-grader in Jefferson Virtual Academy, took top honors at the state level for grades 5 and 6 for her entry, The Picnic.
White was among six JCS students who placed first at the county level, earning the opportunity to be honored during West Virginia Young Writers Day on May 5 in Charleston. Warren LaBreque, Lilah Namolik, Lyndsey Hough, Gretchen Brose, and Abigail Wellings had their work submitted for the state-wide competition. Four of them attended the event at the University of Charleston, which featured author and Mountain State native Homer Hickam as the keynote speaker.
The contest promotes writing in schools by recognizing each county’s best writers in the 1st through 12th grades. Participants submitted a work of fiction, nonfiction, a narrative, a memoir, or an essay on any topic they chose. You can read the winning submissions below.
| Level | Student | Grade | School | Teacher | Title |
| 1-2 | Warren LaBreque | 2 | South Jefferson Elementary | Amy Fincham | |
| 3-4 | Lilah Namolik | 4 | Shepherdstown Elementary | Allison Masser | |
| 5-6 | Macie White | 6 | Jefferson Virtual Academy | Loria Painter | The Picnic
|
| 7-8 | Lyndsey Hough | 8 | Wildwood Middle | Cheryl Reilly | |
| 9-10 | Gretchen Brose | 10 | Washington High | Darren Hine | |
| 11-12 | Abigail Wellings | 12 | Washington High | Jennifer Nicholson |