Congratulations to these incredible creatives for earning the District Award for their Young Author Manuscripts!
The Young Authors Contest is an independent, voluntary project for students in grades K-8 who are interested in writing and publishing their work for others to read. This year, we were thrilled to have over 200 writers submit stories, either as individual authors or in collaboration with friends. The journey to the district level is rigorous.
From the initial 200 submissions, only one author per grade level from each building is sent to the district, where an elite group is narrowed down to one final winner per grade level. This year’s submissions were particularly striking in their scope and imagination, featuring settings ranging from Park Ridge to alternate universes, time-traveling adventures, and even a Candyland world.
Adding to the excitement, seven of this year's winners will attend the statewide Young Authors Conference in Tinley Park on May 25. This event, returning after a hiatus, allows our students to share their manuscripts with the broader writing community and receive insights from published authors.
Excellent job to this year's winners!
- Kindergarten - Azeeza Swank - Everyone Can Play - Carpenter
- 1st Grade - Linden Zoufal - Hunting for Berries - Washington
- 2nd Grade - Claire Abplanalp - Sweet Sixteen - Roosevelt
- 3rd Grade - Cora Young - Ruby's Magnificent, Magical Morning - Franklin
- 4th Grade - Eliza Renz & Katerina Koumarelas - Camp Crazy: Back in Time - Washington
- 5th Grade - Mallory Becker - Mystery in a Small Town Stable - Field
- 6th Grade - Aria Mehta - Drowning & Despair - Lincoln
- 7th Grade - Emma Krizman & Elinor Hughes - 2:45 AM: Raven's Call - Lincoln
- 8th Grade - Madeline VanCannon - Phantom Threads - Emerson