Meghan McAuliffe – Uncounted For 

Junior at Rockville High School – Teacher: Vicky Nordlund

Meghan plays football, cheerleads, mentors in Unified Sports, and works part-time. Her inspiration for this piece came from a science fiction unit in class where she decided to take concepts from “The Quiet Place” and “Vox” into her own style of writing. Meghan says, “Writing is a way to express yourself”. With three brothers, a busy after-school schedule, and a job in childcare, Meghan is always surrounded by people. She plans to apply to UConn in the hopes of becoming an elementary teacher through the Neag School of Education. “It is so exciting to see [preschoolers] learning to express themselves through words and pictures at such a young age!” she marvels. In life and in her writing, it is clear Meghan has both the talent and the passion for the art of language. Read her work, Uncounted For, where she explores in a remarkably creative, science fan-fiction piece what it’s like for women to have their voices taken away…literally. Congratulations are in order to Meghan and Ms. Nordlund for representing our state in this year’s Scholastic Writing Contest.

Tommy Rhoades – Glass District 

Senior at Rockville High School – Teacher: Vicky Nordlund 

Tommy’s piece is a part of a larger work analyzing the wealth inequality in America. He cited John Steinbeck as his influence in this story.  To Tommy, being an author “means voicing an issue, and relaying  morals through imaginative pathways.” He believes that a child reading the Harry Potter series can be as educational as reading a math textbook. As you can see in his short story, he thinks books should be a way to address “contemporary issues in the abstract.” Overall, this piece is about the comfort people feel when they are in a bubble of privilege; they forget the people outside of the bubble. Tommy is working against the phrase “you can’t save everyone.” He believes you should never lose hope and that there is always something you can do.

Eleanor Peters – House Party on a Summer Night 

Senior at Loomis Chaffee High School – Teacher: Kate Saxton

Eleanor derived inspiration from personal experience and conveyed feelings of discomfort and connection in her poem. Her unique voice and artistic style in her poem rely heavily on setting and place, which are features Eleanor describes as important in her compositions. Along with being an accomplished reader and writer, she will be attending Brown University in the Fall to study English. In her free time, Eleanor enjoys reading fiction. Some of her favorite and influential authors include John Irving (particularly his novel A Prayer for Owen Meany), Seamus Heaney, Edgar Allan Poe, Flannery O’Connor, and Robert Frost. Eleanor hopes to pursue many creative writing classes at Brown to continue practicing her passion and hone her skills. “Writing is a method of artistic expression that allows both reflection and creation,” she says. “I like to blend elements of life and imagination into a narrative that reveals something deeper, but that also is appealing and entertaining to readers.” Eleanor is incredibly proud to receive such recognition for her poetry. It encourages her to continue doing what she loves.