PF sixth-graders win fiction-writing awards

Post Falls Middle School students prove the adage, “It never hurts to try, what have you got to lose?”

Seven students in teacher Patty Greer’s sixth-grade English classes won awards in Idaho Magazine’s 2005 Annual Fiction Contest, taking first and second place and garnering five honorable mentions in the junior youth division. The students beat out entries from around the state. There was no third place and one other student from Priest River received an honorable mention.

“That blew me away,” said Greer when she found out her students had won.

The submissions to the magazine began as a class project, timed so that students could enter the contest if they wished. It was an open-ended fiction writing assignment, the two criteria being it had to be somehow tied to Idaho and it had to be 500 to 2,500 words.

“The variety was unbelievable,” Greer said. “The results were great. Everything from Idaho in prehistoric times to Idaho in the future.”

In teaching fiction writing, what’s most important is letting the kids run with their creativity, Greer explained. She writes herself and often does the same assignment that she gives to her students to test it out. “I ask some pretty demanding stuff of these kids.”

Of the approximately 80 students in her three English classes, 35 or 40 entered the contest.

“There were so many entertaining stories from the one class, such good stories,” said Kitty Fleischman, editor and publisher of the magazine.

“I have a feeling some of these kids are budding writers anyway,” Fleischman said. “A lot of them probably have futures involved with writing.”

First place went to Hailey Smith for “Annaconda.”

“I live in a world of girls who are afraid of themselves. They’ll never know how scared I am of life,” starts Hailey’s story.

“It’s about girl named Anna. She was lonely in school. She was in a spy project and it changed her life. I just wanted to write from another prospective,” said Hailey, who wants to be either an author or a pediatrician.

“It was a very mature story,” Fleischman said. “Very thoughtful.”

“It has a plot twist,” Greer said. “The opening of her story leads you to believe it will turn in one direction, but it leads you into uncharted territory.”

Hailey currently is writing a novel and last year won third place in the Coeur d’Alene Library Writing Competition and an honorable mention in the Idaho Writers’ League student writing contest.

Second place went to Kylie Crateau for “Mt. Spud and the Two Little Towns.”

“The sun always shone bright on top of Mt. Spud in beautiful North Idaho. But high in the hills there were two tiny towns that were nothing but trouble,” wrote Kylie.

“[Kylie’s story] has a lot themes about getting along with other people,” Greer said. “Teams. Breaking down old conflicts.”

“It was a pretty cool topic for a kid to pick up,” Fleischman said.

Honorable mentions went to Emilie Wallace, Alex Carey, Alex Laprath, Reagan Van Gelder and Jackie Amende. The Priest River student who earned an honorable mention was Christopher Simpkins.

Awards were presented to the students by Fleischman during a school pep assembly.

“It was terrific to do an academic honor at a pep assembly,” Greer said.

The first and second place entries will be published in Idaho Magazine, probably in June and July, respectively, Fleischman said. She added she’d also like to try to publish the honorable mentions.

“It never ceases to amaze me how many good writers are out there,” she said.

“I’m just really proud of the kids,” Greer said.