Write Rhode Island Announces Fiction Contest Winners

BARRINGTON, RI - From School One: With stiff competition from more than 150 story submissions from students in grades 7-12 across the state, School One and Goat Hill are pleased to announce the winning entries of Rhode Island’s only short fiction writing competition for students.

Congratulations to Sam Read, Barrington High School. His story, Secrets, Secrets Are No Fun, was one of three state winners in the Write Rhode Island short fiction competition and will be published alongside the other winners of Write Rhode Island.

Amanda Woodard, Barrington High School, was also a state winner in the Write Rhode Island short fiction competition. Her story, Unwelcome Guests, will be published alongside the other winners of Write Rhode Island.

Sam and Amanda share their win with several other Barrington students:

• Jane Freiman, Barrington High School. Jane’s story, Toast Crumbs, received a Notable Mention.
• Violet Johnson, Barrington High School, Violet’s story, To Raise the Sea, received a Notable Mention.
• Martin Lapczyk, Barrington Middle School. Martin’s story, The Mighty American Dollar received a
  Notable Mention.
• Jillian Lombardi, Moses Brown School (Barrington resident). Jillian’s story, My Life on Pell Bridge,
  received a Notable Mention.

Write Rhode Island is a short fiction writing competition for Rhode Island students presented by School One
and Goat Hill. The goal of Write Rhode Island is to promote and celebrate the works of students by
incorporating Rhode Island as a theme in a creative piece of prose.

This past fall, Write Rhode Island sponsored free creative writing workshops for teens at public libraries and
schools across the state. Suzanne Pickford, a teacher at Barrington High School, organized one of the
workshops for her creative writing class. Tanya Paglia, Teen Librarian, Barrington Public Library, was also
instrumental in coordinating a series of workshops for local students.

Of the more than 150 competition entries from across the Ocean State, more than 90 percent of students cited
teachers and librarians as their introduction to Write Rhode Island.

Diana DeCesaris Champa, Director of Literary Engagement at School One, is also the competition’s
coordinator. Partnerships like Goat Hill, as well as the volunteers and sponsors of Write Rhode Island, are
crucial to its success. The competition also relies on teachers and librarians to help us spread the word and
encourage participation.

“It’s very exciting to provide an audience and a way to connect with writing outside the classroom,” said
Champa. “The opportunity to be published can be inspiring, and it gives students another reason to work at
rewriting, editing and polishing their work. Last year, teachers reached out to thank us for providing this type
of writing opportunity outside the classroom for students. This year we received more than 150 submissions
and we’re thrilled.”

The winning entries were selected by Goat Hill writers, Ann Hood, Hester Kaplan and Taylor Polites, and
winners of the Write Rhode Island short story competition will be honored at a special awards ceremony at
the Newport Art Museum on March 18, 2018.

When asked about the judging process, Goat Hill said, “The display of talent in this year’s competition is a
testament to the innate desire we all feel to tell our stories. We look forward to not only cultivating
storytelling in the young people of our state, but also for the stories they will tell now and in the future.”

Write Rhode Island has been made possible thanks to support from BankRI, Pawtucket Credit Union, the
Rhode Island Council for the Humanities, Rhode Island Department of Education, Rhode Island State
Council on the Arts, Stenhouse Consulting, and teachers, librarians, and educators from around the state.

Complete List of Winners

2018 Write Rhode Island Winners (story title, student, and school)

• Secrets, Secrets Are No Fun, Sam Read, Barrington High School
• Dream Pool, Rebecca Smith, Montessori Pathways of New England (Exeter)
• Unwelcome Guests, Amanda Woodard, Barrington High School

2018 Write Rhode Island “Notable Mention” (story title, student, school)

• Into the Light, Andrew Ackroyd, Chariho High School
• Give Me the Directions!, Diego Cante, St. Patrick Academy
• Dive In, Qwin Cute, Paul Cuffee Middle School
• A Retrace of Steps, Dominique DiSpirito, Woonsocket High School
• Toast Crumbs, Jane Freiman, Barrington High School

• Deeper Water, Eva Haan, Quest Montessori School
• My Italian Grandmother, Claire Hagerty, Wheeler School
• To Raise the Sea, Violet Johnson, Barrington High School
• Ayita’s Last Dance, Orli Juarez, Edward R. Martin Middle School
• Galaxy of the Land, Caroline Kramer, Riverside Middle School
• The Mighty American Dollar, Martin Lapczyk, Barrington Middle School
• My Life on Pell Bridge, Jillian Lombardi, Moses Brown School
• The Wooden Elephant, Marlaina MacDonald, Paul Cuffee Middle School
• Rhode Island Smalls, Emily Ornberg, Westerly Middle School
• Marie Nottingham, Caroline Sechio, West Warwick High School
• The 10 That Saved Nella, Marlin Severino, Segue Institute for Learning
• Through the Flames, Chloe Shilale, Chariho High School

Photo courtesy of School One