BHS Student Wins Prestigious Writing Award

Two Anne Arundel County high school students won national recognition for their skills in writing.

Samantha Dean, of Broadneck High, and Sarah Crockett, of  North County High, were chosen to receive The National Council of Teachers of English Achievement  Award in Writing.

The award was given to 520 students in the country, and just 12 in Maryland, making these students among the best of the best.

The students were selected after careful review by their entire high school English departments. Though there are no prizes given, the award itself is quite an achievement, and can go a long way in a college application.

From one writer to another, congratulations to both of these students.

Full press release:

Two Anne Arundel County students are among this year’s winners of the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) Achievement Awards in Writing, considered one of the most prestigious writing honors in the country.

Samantha Dean of Broadneck High School and Sarah Crockett of North County High School were among only 12 Maryland students to receive Certificates for Superior Writing. Nationwide, 520 students received awards.

Students submit two compositions, one that they choose as the best example of their writing and the other written on-demand under supervision during a two-hour time period on a topic designated by NCTE. Compositions are scored by teams of judges who are high school or college English teachers and writers.

Students who are judged to be the best writers are awarded Certificates for Superior Writing. The competition does not award prizes. However, the names of the winning students are posted to colleges, and students receive cards that they can submit in their application packages. Recognition as a Superior Writer by NCTE is highly regarded by colleges and often leads to scholarship offers.

The NCTE Achievement Awards in Writing is generally considered the most prestigious national recognition of excellence in student writing. Established in 1957, the annual competition is open to juniors in all U.S. schools. In order to participate, a student must be nominated not by an individual teacher, but by the full English department of his or her high school.

Each school is allowed a set number of nominees based on the enrollment of that school. The winners represent the 50 states, the District of Columbia, Canada, the Virgin Islands, and American schools abroad.