A Short Story Earns a Big Prize
Once upon a time, there was a young student who was excited to enter a school-sponsored art contest. She gathered her supplies, woke up extra early, and prepared to get to work while all along imagining what it might be like to take home the top prize. But despite her best-laid plans, the process didn’t go very smoothly.
The question for our readers: is this short tale one of fact or fiction? In this case, the answer is that it’s both.
The Carrie E. Tompkins Elementary School is proud to share that third-grade student Penny Catanio was awarded first prize in the National Youth Short Story award. She was recently recognized at the Women’s Club of Peekskill and Cortlandt for the story she wrote last year and submitted in the K-2 category. The Catanio family, Superintendent Walker, and Mr.Campanaro attended the event.
Her tale, The Big Story and the Big Problem, introduces us to Belle, a confident, determined and caring sister to four younger siblings, and the obstacles she faces while trying to complete her poster for an art contest. After some compromise and negotiation, Belle receives the space she needs to work her magic and, sure enough, win the contest.
Although, contrary to Belle, Penny has just one other sibling (she’s the elder of a twin brother by about a minute), she does exhibit the same characteristics of being determined, confident, and caring. In fact, Penny - whose real name is “definitely not Penelope” - says that she is proud of her accomplishment and believes she succeeded in writing a funny story. She also appreciates how excited her classmates have been for her.
“They really wanted me to read it out loud and kept saying ‘you’re famous’ when they heard I won out of the whole country,” Penny said. Confirming her statement, one friend said, “It’s such a good story!”
Penny is a creative student who says that she enjoys writing and will take time to do it at home and after school in CAA. The Big Story and the Big Problem is the longest story she had written at that time and it took about two months to complete, during which she learned a lot about the writing process and making revisions. Ms. Erica Hubbard, Penny’s second-grade teacher, found that she has an enthusiasm for learning and a determination to persevere through challenges and complex processes.
“Penny thoughtfully generated creative and original ideas, planned out story elements, worked to build tension and elaborate with detail, developed complex characters, and edited carefully while keeping her audience in mind,” said Ms. Hubbard. “Penny’s passion and talent for writing stories engages readers of all ages.”
Penny’s approach to her story was likely informed by the second grade’s study of contemporary mentor authors like Mo Willems. (Students also read classic fairy tales and then create their own fractured fairy tales.) During Writer’s Workshop, classes go in-depth on the development of complex characters, focusing on inside traits and outside traits, both of which can be seen in Belle. Second graders learn to reveal character traits based on what characters say and what they do, as well as how to show a character’s feelings through descriptive language. And that character's feelings can change throughout the story.
Penny fully intends to continue with her writing and has already thought of how to combine her real-life writing prowess with the art skills of her heroine. She plans to start on a comic book about sisters and can only imagine the adventures they will have.