Writing winners announced

Green River students were recently rewarded for their writing skills.

Last week, Sweetwater County School District No. 2 announced the winners of its Young Authors contest at a special program at the Green River High School auditorium.

Karen Price, contest organizer and instructional facilitator for Lincoln Middle School, Granger Elementary School and McKinnon Elementary School, said students district-wide were asked to submit their best fiction, nonfiction and poetry for the district's competition.

In order to make it on to the district level, students in kindergarten through the fourth grade had to be first place in the category to move on. Those competitors then went against the other elementary schools in the district, including Granger Elementary School.

Students who took first through third in fifth through 12th grade automatically advanced to districts. This year, McKinnon Elementary School and Expedition Academy decided not to participate.

"Three hundred and eighty six students in this district wrote a story this year," Price said. "That's a lot of kids that participated. I didn't realize we had that big of a participation rate."

At the district level, the stories once again go before judges. Those who leave district's with a first-place finish advanced to the Sweetwater County Young Author Celebration. The awards ceremony for the county-wide event is scheduled to take place April 9 at 6:30 p.m. at the Rock Springs Junior High School auditorium.

Green River students will compete against students from the Rock Springs, Farson and Holy Spirit Catholic Church schools.

"It is the cream of the crop," Price said. "By then, it's really stellar work."

The students could just advance to state at the district level, but Price said the county-wide competition was well received.

"It just became so popular that the parents and students feedback was we should keep that competition," she said.

At the county level, a first place in each category will be announced and two honorable mentions will be handed out.

Price said they used to give out more trophies at the county level, but it is just getting too expensive. Those who take first-place at the county-wide competition will move onto state.

Fiction Participants

First place: Emma Johnson, kindergarten, Jackson Elementary, "The Surprised Piece of Cheese"

Second place: Roman Brown, kindergarten, Harrison Elementary, "Cutie Penguin"

Third place: Bradley Dunford, kindergarten, Granger Elementary, "My Baseball Story"

First place: Benjamin Maggi, first grade, Washington Elementary, "Dino Brothers, Sports All-Stars"

Second place: Jacob Olson, first grade, Harrison Elementary, "How Lion Got His Roar"

Third place: Afton Kight, first grade, Truman Elementary, "Lost Stuffed Animal"

First place: Chris Mora, second grade, Washington Elementary, "The Adventures of the Talking Bear"

Second place: Allona Brown, second grade, Harrison Elementary, "Any Wish You Have Ever Wanted"

Third place: Tomacita Becenti, second grade, Truman Elementary, "Navajo Lemon Girl"

First place: Tyler Castillon, third grade, Washington Elementary, "Lightning on the Loose"

Second place: Collin Glathar, third grade, Truman Elementary, "Tooth Trouble"

Third place: Laural Kurth, third grade, Harrison Elementary, "Oops!"

First place: Trey Robinson, fourth grade, Harrison Elementary, "The Brave and Powerful Dragon"

Second place: Keira Van der Linden, fourth grade, Jackson Elementary, "The Adventurers"

Third place tie: Mia Rosas, fourth grade, Washington Elementary, "The Lie"

Third place tie: Brinley Nelson, fourth grade, Truman Elementary, "The Girl With the Long Blond Hair..."

First place: Amy Van der linden, fifth grade, Monroe Intermediate School, "Nature's Walk"

Second place: Haylie Gavin, fifth grade, MIS, "The Mystery of Jenna McHutson's..."

Third place: Makenzee Knight, fifth grade, MIS, "Construction Danger Zone!"

First place: Camden Nelson, sixth grade, MIS, "The Hike"

Second place: Lauren Jensen, sixth grade, MIS, "The Book of Time"

Third place: Connor Friel, sixth grade, MIS, "The Witch's House"

First place: Mauri Glathar, seventh grade, Lincoln Middle School, "The Fortunate Fortune"

Second place: Ivan Leon, seventh grade, LMS, "The TSIA Chronicles"

Third place: Paige Knavel, seventh grade, LMS, "The Witness"

First place: Hannah Braithewaite, eighth grade, LMS, "The Final Act"

Second place: Ashlyn Glathar, eighth grade, LMS, "The Return"

Third place: Natasha Garcia, eighth grade, LMS, "Teen Tragedy"

First place: Gregory Marchal, ninth grade, Green River High School, "The Decision"

Second place: Cindy Lou Sherada, ninth grade, GRHS, "Shadow's Return"

Third place: Patrick Marchal, ninth grade, GRHS, "Gang Peacemaker (A Sequel...)"

First place: Lacey Hart, 10th grade, GRHS, "The Wolf in the Woods"

Second place: Allison Kloepper, 10th grade, GRHS, "Memory"

Third place: Katelyn Moorman, 10th grade, GRHS, "47 and a Sparkle Queen"

First place: Janalee Hoffman, 11th grade, GRHS, "When the Wind Takes Me"

Second place: Amber Nelson, 11th grade, GRHS, "The Great Salt Lake"

Third place: Shanell Smith, 11th grade, GRHS, "The Pain of High School Has It's ..."

First place: Hope Frey, 12th grade, GRHS, "Walk of Shame"

Non-Fiction Participants

First place: Brynlee Cordova, kindergarten, Jackson Elementary, "Camping With My Family"

Second place: Bradley Dunford, kindergarten, Granger Elementary, "The Mummy"

First place: Makaylee Robles, first grade, Jackson Elementary, "Creepy Crawlies"

Second place: Katelyn Maez, first grade, Truman Elementary, "What It's Like To Go On a Cruise"

Third place: Hayli Dockter, first grade, Washington Elementary, "Pinky the Fairy"

First place: Claira Kuball, second grade, Harrison Elementary, "A Book About Thanks"

Second place: Keira Mollman, second grade, Washington Elementary, "My Florida Adventure"

Third place: Nycholas Mansir, second grade, Granger Elementary, "My Dog Zeus"

First place tie: Travis Archibald, third grade, Washington Granger Elementary, "Thomas Edison"

First place tie: Emilee Jensen, third grade, Harrison Elementary, "Braces"

Second place: Ivory Neher, third grade, Jackson Elementary, "Big Cats"

First place: Eliza Burgess, fourth grade, Harrison Elementary, "The Best Vacation I Ever Had"

Second place: Howard Bame, fourth grade, Granger Elementary, "All About Bobcats"

First place: Dylan Taylor, fifth grade, MIS, "The Scariest Time of My Life"

Second place: Tori Shaw, fifth grade, MIS, "A Day at the Beach"

First place tie: Kayde Strauss, sixth grade, MIS, "Breathtaking"

First place tie: Jordan Buggy, sixth grade, MIS, "Changed"

Second place: Genessa Timmons, sixth grade, MIS, "Sleeping With Bears"

Third place: Emmalee Skinner, sixth grade, MIS, "A Trip to Camp Meeks"

First place: Laura Patterson, seventh grade, LMS, "0.70%"

Second place: Kaden Lloyd, seventh grade, LMS, "The Weekend"

Third place: Joey Bowen, seventh grade, LMS, "Dear Diary"

First place: Mary Harris, eighth grade, LMS, "England comes to Wyoming"

Second place: Andrew Jenkins, eighth grade, LMS, "Some of My Crashes"

Third place: Jacob Lakins, eighth grade, LMS, "Princess"

Third place: Patrick Marchal, ninth grade, GRHS, "Splashdown"

First place: Brianna Rath, 1oth grade, GRHS, "Agitation Is Key"

Second place: Lacey Hart, 10th grade, GRHS, "Thirteen"

Third place: Anna Harris, 10th grade, GRHS, "The Worst Kind of Fire"

First place: Amber Nelson, 11th grade, GRHS, "The Day the Rain Came"

Second place: Hailey Watterson, 11th grade, GRHS, "A Child's Nightmare"

Third place: Mercedes Negrete, 11th grade, GRHS, "Her Last Chance"

First place: Kori Lamb, 12th grade, GRHS, "No Hope"

Second place: Kirsti Patterson, 12th grade, GRHS, "Living Flightless"

Third place: Raeanne Ebinger, 12th grade, GRHS, "Everything Will Be Fine"

Poetry Participants

First place: Oakley Wardell, first grade, Truman Elementary, "I Made a Zoo"

First place: Nate Bailey, second grade, Harrison Elementary, "A Few of My Favorite Things"

Second place: Zoe Castillon, second grade, Washington Elementary, "A Girl's Poems"

First place: Haylie Johnson, third grade, Harrison Elementary, "My California Trip"

Second place: Jayla Braden, third grade, Jackson Elementary, "My Summertime Poems"

First place: Josh Moody, fourth grade, Washington Elementary, "All Things About Football"

Second place: Gabrielle Lawrence, fourth grade, Truman Elementary, "Goodbye Truman"

Third place: Howard Bame, fourth grade, Granger Elementary, "Happy"

First place: Allison Brown, fifth grade, MIS, "Colors of the World"

Second place: Lillian Travis, fifth grade, MIS, "Haiku poems"

First place: Trenton Dowley, sixth grade, MIS, "The Welcome Home and Other..."

Second place: Kaylee Lundgren, sixth grade, MIS, "The Hunt"

Third place: Caeden Grubb, sixth grade, MIS, "Colors"

First place: Sarah Kropf, ninth grade, GRHS, "Life, Death, and Everything in ..."

Second place: Gregory Marchal, ninth grade, GRHS, "The World Cup"

First place: Lacey Hart, 10th grade, GRHS, "Sweet and Satisfying"

Second place: Anna Harris, 10th grade, GRHS, "One Heart--an Epic Poem 2"

Third place: Katelyn Moorman, 10th grade, GRHS, "Forbidden, Quixotic and Volatile"

First place: Natasha Beckerman, 11th grade, GRHS, "Into the Darkness"

First place: Nicole Davis, 12th grade, GRHS, "A Grandmother's Story"

Second place: Kirsti Patterson, 12th grade, GRHS, "Metta Phoars"

Third place: JodiRae Orton, 12th grade, GRHS, "The Poems of Life"