Eighth grader takes second in national writing contest
Tuesday, Feb. 7, 2012
A short story by Eudora Middle School eighth grader Abby Jackson has won national honors in a writing competition sponsored by The Writing Conference. She also was the only student from Kansas recognized this year, in addition to being the first-ever Eudora student to place in the competition. Jackson is the daughter of Scott and Nancy Jackson.
There are three age divisions in the contest: elementary, middle, and high school. Students are allowed to enter in one of three categories, expository, narrative or poetry. Three entries from each category are recognized, so a total of 27 students are honored across age divisions. There was no length requirement or restriction on the entries, though she did have to address the contest's topic of change.
Jackson's English teacher Bob Sailler said that her short story about a second grader accused of cheating on a spelling test went through a dozen revisions before settling on her final copy.
"This is a fantastic honor for Abby, for her teachers and for our school," said EMS principal Jerry Henn. "This kind of honor only comes after a great deal of hard work and dedication, and we are all very proud of her efforts and talent."
As a winner, her story will be published in The Writer's Slate magazine. She also will receive a plaque from The Writing Conference, which is led by John Bushman of the University of Kansas.
