MMI seniors Rachael Betz, Jayden Bonham and Connor Spencer received awards in the regional Scholastic Art & Writing Awards competition.

Betz, the daughter of Dr. Amy Houm of Tamaqua and Richard Betz of Honesdale, won a Silver Key for her poem “Misunderstood”.  Bonham, son of William C. and Melissa Bonham of Sugarloaf was awarded a Silver Key for his poem “A Room at the Top of the World” and an Honorable Mention for Flash Fiction “Reality”.  Spencer, son of Christopher and Christina Spencer of Mountaintop was awarded an Honorable Mention for his poem “Snow”.   Mrs. Jennifer Novotney, MMI English Department Chair, serves as the advisor for this competition.

The Scholastic Art & Writing Awards is the nation’s longest-running, most prestigious recognition program for creative teens. Students in grades 7-12 (ages 13 and up) can apply in 28 categories of art and writing.

In the Poetry category, students write in verse. The work may include, but is not limited to, prose poetry, free verse, formal poetry, song lyrics, and spoken word. Each submission may consist of one to five poems, which are judged as a collection, with a limit of 20–200 lines total for the entire collection. Students may submit more than one collection, but must register each separately. Flash Fiction works are highly focused stories characterized by brevity and limited to 1,000 words or less.

The Scholastic Art & Writing Awards are presented by the Alliance for Young Artists & Writers. The Alliance is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization whose mission is to identify students with exceptional artistic and literary talent and present their remarkable work to the world through the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards.

The Awards give students opportunities for recognition, exhibition, publication, and scholarships. Students across America entered nearly 230,000 original works in 2021.

Pictured from Left to Right are Mrs. Jennifer Novotney, Advisor; Jayden Bonham, Rachael Betz, and Connor Spencer.