Eight Westover Students Receive Scholastic Writing Awards

Eight Westover School students received recognition on the regional level of the Scholastic Writing Awards program, including four students who received Gold Key Awards. Students receiving Gold Key recognition will have their poetry considered in the Scholastic Writing Awards on the national level.

Seven of the students were honored for their poetry; the eighth student was recognized for an essay.

The four students receiving Gold Key Awards for their poetry are: Hannah Hudson, a senior from Southbury; Kira Hunter, a senior from Virginia; Charlotte Iwasaki, a senior from Southbury; and Joscelyn Norris, a sophomore from Roxbury.

Two students received Silver Key Awards for their poetry: Anna Chahuneau, a senior from Paris, France; and Nadia Gribkova, a senior from Moscow, Russia.

Two students received Honorable Mentions: Lauren Danielowski, a senior from Woodbury for her poetry; and Min Ju Shin, a junior from Seoul, Korea, for her essay.

The students receiving recognition worked closely with members of the English Department faculty, particularly Thomas Juvan, who teaches the Craft of Poetry course, and poetry program advisor Bruce Coffin. Other members who worked with winners this year included department chair Joanne Dexter and instructor Thomas Hungerford. Over the years, Westover students have been consistently recognized on the state, regional, and national level for their poetry.

The students submitted their writing to the Scholastic Writing Awards competition through the Hudson-to-Housatonic Region, which encompasses nine counties in southeastern New York and western Connecticut.

Writopia Lab, a non-profit organization founded in New York City, administers the Hudson to Housatonic Writing Region as an affiliate for the Scholastic Writing Awards, receiving submissions, organizing the adjudication, and presenting an awards ceremony for regional winners. 

Selections from the Scholastic Art and Writing Awards are published in the National Catalog and The Best Teen Writing, which are distributed to schools and libraries nationwide. Works have also appeared in Scholastic publications including The Best Young Writers & Artists in America (Push), Scope magazine, Junior Scholastic magazine, Scholastic Art magazine, and New York Times Upfront magazine.

Westover is a selective boarding and day school in Middlebury, Connecticut, with 205 students in grades 9-12 from 17 states and 20 countries. The School offers its students more than 20 Advanced Placement courses as well as signature programs in science, engineering, art history, and music.