MCHS Scholastic Streak Stretches to Six
Maya Angelou wrote, “There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you.” For high school students, the writing of those stories delivers catharsis. Across the nation, those student stories may be submitted to a time-honored and storied awards program, Scholastic Art & Writing, with a tradition of encouraging writers we have read ourselves such as Sylvia Plath, Andy Warhol, and Truman Capote.
Because of the pandemic, and because of remote learning and other school and community parameters across the region and the country, the deadline shifted while students were writing. However, MCHS students were resilient and determined and submitted competition-ready writing in poetry, personal essay & memoir, short story, portfolio, science fiction & fantasy, and the One Earth scholarship categories. MCHS students who submitted writing were Alexandria Archer, Margaret Bleyer, Kyle Dunn, Eva Hocking, Allyson Pierce, Anne Schroeder & Maxwell Zimmerman.
The competition for writers presents awards in three categories. Honorable Mention is granted to the top 10-15% of all entries; Silver Key to the top 7-10%, and Gold Key to the top 5-7%. Scholastic jurors in this region reviewed thousands of entries this year, and with the extended deadline, the number of entries grew proportionally.
MCHS is pleased to announce one winner, Margaret (Maggee) Bleyer, of three honorable mentions and a Silver Key. Maggee won awards in the following categories: personal essay & memoir, short story, poetry, and science fiction & fantasy. The Silver Key was awarded for the science fiction & fantasy piece, “When the Story Ends.”
Maggee Bleyer is the daughter of Dr. Chuck & Mrs. Tracee Bleyer. Maggee is an anchorwoman/scriptwriter on the MCHS television production Aces TV, and she will perform the role of Alice Beineke in the spring musical production of The Addams Family. About her pieces, Maggee shared this, “Some pieces were written as a form of closure for past experiences. I used my inspiration toward life and other situations to guide my writing. My Silver Key was awarded in a genre I am proud of writing in because I broke the fourth wall. I believe my honorable mentions and Silver Key display my love for writing.” After graduation, Maggee plans to major in English and Radio/Television Communications at Wabash Valley College for the first two years and then transfer for further study at a university in the midwest.