St. Mary’s Dominican High School juniors Emily Hemelt and Sydney Raymond have been selected for a 2020 Achievement Award in Writing, given by the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE). Both students submitted works in the genres of poetry, fiction, and personal narrative. This school term, they were in English teacher Casey Lefante’s English IV AP class.

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 370 students. Of that number, 137 received Certificates of Superior Writing and 233 received Certificates of Nomination. Each student submitted two pieces of writing. Two independent judges scored each submission on expression of ideas, language use, and unique perspective and voice.