Three Smithtown High School East students are enjoying new found acclaim after receiving Scholastic Art & Writing Awards. Out of close to 320,000 submissions, Sophomore Meghan Hayfield, Freshman Rebecca Hall and Junior Natalie Swiacki were chosen as recipients of Golden and Silver Key awards. Meghan Hayfield’s Short Story received a National Medal, in addition to being awarded with the Gold Key Award.
Hayfield’s gripping short story. entitled “Heavy” depicted the agonizing journey of a family on the run from an abusive father. Silver Key award recipient, Rebecca Hall took the Science Fiction/Fantasy category, for her short story “Tell Tale Cell.” The freshman created a modern twist on Edgar Allen Poe’s classic story “The Tell Tale Heart.” In the poetry category, Natalie Swiacki took home a gold key for “Finding me” and a Silver Key for “The Story of Social Strife.”
Presented by the Alliance for Young Artists & Writers, the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards serves to recognize the vision, ingenuity, and talent of the nation’s youth. Since it’s conception in 1923 the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards provides opportunities for hundreds of thousands of creative teens to be celebrated, exhibited, published and rewarded scholarship opportunities. This year, nearly 320,000 pieces were submitted to the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards, across 29 categories. Out of the submissions, the top 40 percent are selected for Gold Key, Silver Key or Honorable Mention recognition. Those Gold Key-winning entries are chosen and reviewed by creative professionals and can qualify to win a national award.