St. Mary’s Dominican High School student Sara Miller has received the 2019 Achievement Award in Writing from the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE). The NCTE Achievement Awards in Writing is a school-based writing program established in 1957 to encourage high school students to write and to recognize some of the best student writers in the nation. Only students who are juniors may participate. Schools in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Canada, American schools abroad, and the Virgin Islands are eligible to nominate students for the writing program.

This year, schools nominated 416 students. Of that number, 210 received Certificates of Superior Writing. Each student submitted two pieces of writing. Two independent judges scored each submission on the expression of ideas, language use, and unique perspective and voice. Miller is a student of English teacher Casey Lefante. English Department Chair is Meg Womble.

NCTE is the nation’s most comprehensive literacy organization, supporting more than 25,000 teachers across the pre-K to college spectrum. It has served at the forefront of every major improvement in the teaching and learning of English and the language arts.