The Northeast Alabama Community College chapter of Sigma Kappa Delta, the English honorary for two-year schools, is proud to announce its winners of the 2009 Writing Competition for students in area middle schools and high schools.  NACC’s Epsilon Alpha chapter began sponsoring the high school/middle school competition in 2001. Since then, students from Jackson and Dekalb counties have proudly displayed their writing talent. Last year, Dade County was included in the competition. Each year the college asks area teachers to submit poetry, fiction, and essays from students in grades 7-9 and 10-12.  These entries are then judged by a panel of Sigma Kappa Delta members and NACC faculty.  The top three students in each area of each division are given certificates and pen sets and are recognized at NACC’s annual awards day program.  Additionally, the student’s work will be published in the upcoming edition of the Aurora, the college’s literary magazine.

This year’s competition was quite successful.  The college received forty-two entries from schools in DeKalb County, Jackson County, Dade County, and Fort Payne City systems.  The winners are as follows: Fiction 7-9—1^st Place Brett Bankston (Crossville), 2^nd Place Jordan Bryant (Sylvania), and 3^rd Place Amber Uptain (Crossville); Poetry 7-9—1^st Place Zac McCurdy (Ft. Payne), 2^nd Place Graham Dodd (Ft. Payne), and 3^rd Place Mellie Lammon (Ft. Payne); Essay 7-9—1^st Place Sarah Wootten (Sylvania), 2^nd Place Gavin Barkley (Crossville), and 3^rd Place Sarah Hansen (Ft. Payne); Fiction 10-12—1^st Place Stephanie Sledge (North Sand Mountain), 2^nd Place Savannah Sisco (Crossville), and 3^rd Place Brittany New (Dade County); Poetry 10-12—1^st Place Austin Mullican (Paint Rock Valley), 2^nd Place Tyler Owens (Crossville), and 3^rd Place Natasha Atchley (North Sand Mountain); Essay 10-12—1^st Place Dusty Shrader (North Sand Mountain) and 2^nd Place Justin Mayo (Crossville).

Congratulations to all these talented students and their teachers.  The teachers who are responsible for working with these students are Courtney Ashburn (Paint Rock Valley), Valerie Smith (North Sand Mountain), Pat Edmonds (Sylvania), Bettina Goins (North Sand Mountain), Jeannie Woods and Jessica Reeves (Ft. Payne), Carla Luther (Crossville High), Patsy Townson (Crossville), Cynthia Bowden (Dade County), Tracy Gilliland (Crossville). (If you would like more information about the literary competition sponsored by Northeast, please contact Ms. Joan Reeves at 638-4418 x 347.