The 2024 Spectrum Awards were a culmination of the immense writing talent here at Sinclair, as well as at local high schools and middle schools. This ceremony was held in Building 12 on April 15, 2024.
First, the winners of the Spectrum Awards for Excellence in Student Writing were announced.
The winner for the Expository Essay category was Joseph Smith, whose work was titled: “Trauma in Advertising: When Is It OK?”
The winner for Research Essay was Anna Bolha and their essay titled: “Behind the Scenes.”
The Literature Essay category winner was Kara Gardner’s “Class Differences and Exploitation in ‘Apollo’ and ‘Barn Burning.’”
Next, the Creative Writing Contest Winners were awarded. The categories included prizes in poetry, non-fiction and fiction.
The winners of the poetry, high school category were: In first place, “What Is Missing?” by Dana Holloway. In second place, “I am From” by Erin Moler. In third place, “ITL Poem” by Alexis Holsey.
These were winners of the poetry, adult category: In first place, “Who Am I? Quien soy?” by Minnie Almader. In second place, “Thoughts in Water, Feelings on Sand” by Madelyn Fischer. In third place, “I Will Be” by Mycah Kyles Stewart.
The high school non-fiction winners were: In first place, “Experience Equals Growth” by Charlotte Higgins. In second place, “KT Tape” by Greta Moore. In third place, “This I Believe” by Carilyse Hall.
Next, the adult non-fiction winners were: In first place, “A Black Girl’s Reality” by Naviyah Martin. In second place, “The Sun and the Moon” by Cecile Darling. In third place, “An Essay on Exploding Toilets and The Super Scientific Phases of Falling in Love” by Macey Heys.
In the fiction category, the high school winners were: In first place, “The Beast from the Trenches” by Brayden McDaniel. In second place, “Friendly Fire” by Alexis Holsey. In third place, “Betrayal Ending” by Caitlyn Henry.
The adult fiction winners were: In first place, “The Profound Effect of Peer Persecution” by Tori Suhr. In second place, “Meeting Time” by Rhonda Havig. In third place, “The Bounty of Rob Wilkinson” by Andy Gibson.
The Gary Mitchner Prize for Formal Poetry winners were “My Future” by Katrina Walling and “A Good Man” by Ariella Hardin.
The Deanna Pickard Poetry Prize was awarded to Katie Bostick for their poem “Porches” and Ismael David Mujahid for their poem titled “New Babylon.”
The Paul Laurence Dunbar Poetry Prize has several categories including middle school, high school and adult.
In the middle school category, the prize was awarded to “Where I’m From” by Lily Hendricks
In the high school category, the winners were “Bodies Passing for Ships in the Night” by Hannah Ahn and “Tree Frogs” by Erin Kelly.
In the adult category, the prize was awarded to “Inebriated” by Macey Heys
Then, League for Innovation winners were announced. In the personal essay category, Macey Heys. In the poetry category, Katie Bostick. And for the short story category, Dylan Ward.
Lastly, Outstanding English Major was Christopher West. Outstanding Creative Writing Major was Elisabeth Brynildsen and Macey Heys. Outstanding ELL Major was Gabriella Prado.
To end the night, winners, faculty, and guests were invited to casually perform a favorite piece or their very own work. It was a wonderful evening to celebrate and recognize the amazing accomplishments of student writers.
Macey Heys, Managing Editor