Mount Olympus resident wins student literary award

 Roland Hall junior and Mt Olympus resident, Anna Kelly has been named a gold medal winner in the 2011 National Scholastic Art & Writing Awards recognition program for her outstanding poetry.

 The winners were honored at a special ceremony at Carnegie Hall in New York City last spring. Mayor Mike Bloomberg declared May 31 the official Scholastic Art & Writing Awards Day, and the top of the Empire State Building was lit in gold in honor of the students’ achievements.

 “It was a wonderful opportunity. I met Scholastic writers and publishers, received free books that hadn’t come out in print yet, toured People Magazine and had a wonderful chance to see New York City,” Anna said.

 Of the 456 writers picked for the national award, 12 of the gold medalist poets were chosen to be published in the Best Teen Writing of 2011 publication due out this fall.

 The competition attracted 185,000 submissions nationwide in 30 categories. Along with poetry, other categories include novel writing, science fiction, painting, sculpture, photography, fashion design, film and animation and videogame design.

 The entries were judged, first locally and then nationally, by panels of judges comprised of renowned artists, authors, educators and art professionals. The works were judged on technical skill, originality and the perception of a personal voice.

 “Our jurors were blown away by the quality, originality and spirit of the work, and many told us they came away from the experience feeling optimistic and excited about the future of America’s creative leadership,” Virginia McEnerny, executive director of the Alliance for Young Artists and Writers said in a press release.

 Anna’s poetry and talent as a writer has also helped secure All-American status for Roland Hall’s 2011 literary journal Tessarae, from the National Scholastic Press Association.