2 Branford High School Juniors Win National Writing Contest

BRANFORD, CT — Clare Barnett and Lucy Peterson, both juniors at Branford High School, have been selected for a 2023 Achievement Award for Writing, given by the National Council of Teachers of English. Peterson received a First Class designation, while Barnett was awarded a Superior designation.

This year, schools across the country nominated 360 students. Of those, 114 received First Class designations and 131 received a Superior designation. In Connecticut, Peterson was one of five students who earned the highest distinction of First Class. Barnett received a distinction of Superior.

Each student submitted a piece of writing around the prompt “Education First.” Two independent judges scored each submission on the expression of ideas, language use, and unique perspective and voice.

“The two of them are also very curious and diligent. Neither one of them shies away from hard work or constructive feedback on their writing," said BHS educator Bing Miller, who teaches American Literature. "It has been a joy working with them this year."

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. 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.

“Both Clare and Lucy are incredibly thoughtful and creative thinkers. During the year, they both
exhibited a passion for writing, which was evident in the work they did for the NCTE contest,” Miller said. He nominated both writers.

About Lucy Peterson

A junior in high school, Peterson lives with her parents and her older sister when she is home from college. She is very close with her family and enjoys spending time with them and discussing philosophical topics and ideas. She enjoys riding horses, and she is the manager of a nearby barn, where she also gives riding lessons. She has always enjoyed reading and writing, and loves learning new things through the written work of others. Starting in about 7th grade, writing became an outlet for her and has helped her express complex emotions that she would not be able to convey without writing. Peterson hopes to inspire others also to write, and she hopes to share her passion with the world more in the future.

“In her essay, Lucy told a personal story about her efforts at overcoming a learning disability that has helped motivate her in school,” Miller said. "She worked hard to effectively present an immediate point of view in the story that brought her struggles poignantly to life on the page.”

About Clare Barnett

Barnett is a high school student enthralled by most things historical, and she interns at the Madison Historical Society with the costume collection housed there. Out of this work reorganizing and cataloging the collection has come the publication Costume in Detail, a bi-monthly newsletter highlighting historical contexts from which garments emerge. The newsletter can be accessed here. Her other interests include art and music history, painting, sewing historical reproduction garments, and making her own daily clothing.

“Clare’s writing is very sophisticated and insightful,” said Miller, who is also advisor for the BHS student newspaper, The Buzz. "The piece she submitted to NCTE was a combination of a scholarly approach to some theories of education that were blended with her own personal experiences as a student.”

Read the Branford Buzz story here.

About the National Council of Teachers of English

The National Council of Teachers of English is the nation’s most comprehensive literacy
organization, supporting more than 25,000 teachers across the preK–college spectrum. Through the expertise of its members, NCTE has served at the forefront of every major improvement in the teaching and learning of English and the language arts since 1911.

For more information about the NCTE Achievement Awards in Writing, including past winners, click here.