Four Westfield Public School students are recipients of the 2016 Scholastic Art and Writing Awards in the northeast region. They include Mira Mehta, 8th grader at Edison Intermediate School, who received a Silver Key for her short story; Westfield High School students Casey Cohen, 9th grader, who earned a Gold Key for poetry; Paige McCann, a senior, receiving Honorable Mention for poetry; senior Sarah Boyle, who was awarded a Gold Key for short story and writing portfolio and Honorable Mention for flash fiction.
Sarah, who is writing a novel as part of an Independent Study program at Westfield High School, will be attending Emory University majoring in Creative Writing. “I love writing, and English is my favorite subject,” she said. Letters received by the students in February from the Alliance for Young Artists & Writers, which presents the awards, read: “This is a remarkable achievement for you. Your work was recognized by a panel of creative professionals as the most outstanding work submitted among your peers.”
The Alliance also noted that the Westfield students will join esteemed Scholastic Awards alumni including Truman Capote, Stephen King, Sylvia Plath, Robert Redford, Joyce Carol Oates, and Lena Dunham, who were recognized for their writing when they were teenagers.
(above, l-r) Mira Mehta, Casey Cohen, Paige McCann, and Sarah Boyle.
