Pierce County Schools recently recognized the winners of the 2024-25 local Young Authors Writing Competition.
Two local young authors, Aubrey Gerard and Isaac Barclift, won first place in their grade divisions in Pierce County Schools and among all the schools in the eightcounty Okefenokee Regional Educational Services Agency (RESA) district.
Gerard, a fifth grader at Midway Elementary, won first place with her story “Find the Ring to Survive”. Barclift, a second grader at Patterson Elementary, won first place with his story “The Hole to Gnome-Where”.
Winners in each grade level in Pierce County were Hadley Howard, kindergarten student at Midway Elementary, with her story “The Stranger”, Buckley Wright, first grade student at Midway Elementary, with his story “The Dinosaur Battle”, Jake “James” Echols, third grade student at Patterson Elementary with “The School of the Untold Secrets” and Mason Barber, fourth grade student at Patterson Elementary with his story “The Life of Howie Howington Hummingbird”.
The competition has been held annually since 1991, and is open to any of Georgia’s public school students. Student pieces are judged at the school and system level.
Grade-level system winners are sent on to the local Regional Education Service Agency (RESA) to compete against surrounding counties’ entries.
The writing competition is to encourage students to develop enthusiasm for and expertise in their writing, to provide a context to celebrate their writing successes and to recognize student achievement in arts and academics.
