Congratulations to our 2021 Winners!
Children and teens have always felt strongly about what goes on in the world, and in all generations, they speak up and speak out. The youngsters of this generation are no different. There has been no end to the challenges thrown at humanity in 2020 and 2021, and our children are bearing these burdens as well.
The stories and poems in this year’s contest cover it all: climate change, racism, violence, gender identity, pandemic isolation and fear, families, loss of loved ones, young love, friendship, and the beauty of nature.
To our contestants: We loved reading your submissions and are honestly proud of the talent you all displayed. As writers ourselves, we understand that the words we write are part of us. It takes a special kind of confidence to submit your writing to strangers, hoping they will like it.
The CWC-Mt. Diablo Branch sends thanks to all the students who entered this year’s contest.
Kudos to all of you!
2021 Winners and Honorable Mentions
Poetry 6th Grade
1st Place
Name: Emma Singh, The Whale
Teacher: Kirsten Woods
School: Seven Hill, Walnut Creek
2nd Place
Name: Lila McCrary, LEFT Behind
Teacher: Elizabeth Noreña
School: Prospect Sierra, El Cerrito
3rd Place
Name: Jack Christian, Rain
Teacher: Melissa Dessoye
School: Charlotte Wood, Danville
Honorable Mention
Name: Charlotte McCracken, The World is Ours
Teacher: Kirsten Woods
School: Seven Hills, Walnut Creek
Name: Melia Minglana, Perspective
Teacher: Heather Still
School: Sequoia Middle, Pleasant Hill
Personal Narrative
6th Grade
1st Place
Name: Rachel Richardson: Believers
Teacher: Julia Herrington
School: Charlotte Wood, Danville
2nd Place
Name: Advaith Sethuraman: Nature’s Gift
Teacher: Caresse Nguyen
School: Windemere Ranch, San Ramon
3rd Place
Name: Georgia Paulsen: Look Out for Bears
Teacher: Heather Still
School: Sequoia Middle, Pleasant Hill
Honorable Mention
Name: Georgia Paulsen: A Bee Attack
Teacher: Heather Still
School: Sequoia Middle, Pleasant Hill
Name: Antonia Altamirano: The Grip of Love
Teacher: David Wright
School: Charlotte Wood, Danville
Name: Jake Kwok: COVID—A Silver Lining
Teacher: Julia Herrington
School: Charlotte Wood, Danville
Name: Lila McCleod: More Than Just Butterflies
Teacher: Melissa Dessoye
School: Charlotte Wood, Danville
Short Story
6th Grade
1st Place
Name: Arya Prakash: Bri and Ly-ly
Teacher: Stacy McKenna
School: Dorris-Eaton, San Ramon
2nd Place
Name: Selina Lai: The Spirit World
Teacher: Jason Ahn
School: Dorris-Eaton, San Ramon
3rd Place
Name: Ria Ramchandani: The Whispering Lake
Teacher: Kristy Lomando
School: Pine Valley, San Ramon
Honorable Mention
Name: Shree Sabbineni: The Quest of a Revolution
Teacher: Stacy McKenna
School: Dorris-Eaton, San Ramon
Name: Sophia Fermin: One in a Million
Teacher: Mrs. Heule
School: Adams Middle, Brentwood
Name: Laila Shahsavari: The Bully
Teacher: Katherine Palmer-Collins
School: Orinda Middle, Orinda
Humor
All Grades
1st Place
Name: Kathleen Shang, The Small Life
Teacher: Helena Lamb
School: Foothill Middle, Walnut Creek
2nd Place
Name: Chloe Cheung, A Lost Signal
Teacher: James Flowers
School: Joaquin Moraga, Moraga
3rd Place
Name: Neetra Chakraborty, Momster at the Gym
Teacher: Mitchell Jensen
School: Windemere Ranch, San Ramon
Poetry 7th Grade
1st Place
Name: Anya Houston, The Melody of Growth
Teacher: James Flowers
School: Joaquin Moraga, Moraga
2nd Place
Name: Sienna Wong, A Life That Mattered
Teacher: Margaret Roberson
School: Diablo Vista, Danville
3rd Place
Name: Isabella Bian, The Girl in the Bedroom Next to Mine
Teacher: Jason Ahn
School: Dorris-Eaton, San Ramon
Honorable Mention
Name: Madeleine Roytfeld, When Sun Meets Ocean
Teacher: Stephanie Davenport
School: Charlotte Wood, Danville
Name: Hannah Sadhig, The Wet, Wet Rain
Teacher: Stephanie Davenport
School: Charlotte Wood, Danville
Name: Anika Sherer, Dancing in the Rain
Teacher: Melissa Parker
School: Dorris-Eaton, Walnut Creek
Personal Narrative
7th Grade
1st Place
Name: Maryam Kermani: The Color of Clouds on a Perfect Day
Teacher: Ben Wayne
School: Joaquin Moraga, Moraga
2nd Place
Name: Saanvy Desai: The Pearls That Cost Me Gold
Teacher: Charlotte Vaughns
School: Iron Horse, San Ramon
3rd Place
Name: Hailey Ayers: How Reading Changed My Life
Teacher: Whitney Mazzotti
School: Los Cerros, Danville
Honorable Mention
Name: Polina Efimova: The Invisible Girl
Teacher: Mari Weiss
School: Seven Hills, Walnut Creek
Short Story
7th Grade
1st Place
Name: Madeleine Roytfeld, The River’s Gift
Teacher: Stephanie Davenport
School: Charlotte Wood, Danville
2nd Place
Name: Emily Engebretson, Lonely Standing Ovation
Teacher: Nancy Vargas
School: Pleasant Hill Middle, Pleasant Hill
3rd Place
Name: Jinane Ejjed, The Helping Fountain
Teacher: Mari Weiss
School: Seven Hills, Walnut Creek
Honorable Mention
Name: Anisha Raghu, A Second Chance
Teacher: Nicole Nishihira
School: Windemere Ranch, San Ramon
Name: Liam Hancock, Running from Time
Teacher: Jennifer Risher
School: Charlotte Wood, Danville
Name: Brooklyn Carr Heuer, One Voice
Teacher: Annie Rodriguez
School: Eagle Peak Montessori, Walnut Creek
Name: Maryam Kermani, A Letter
Teacher: Ben Wayne
School: Joaquin Moraga, Moraga
Name: Margaret McKay, The Cycle
Teacher: Lauren Dowd
School: Diablo Vista, Danville
Name: Audrey Spears, Catherine Finds Her Confidence
Teacher: Ben Wayne
School: Joaquin Moraga, Moraga
Name: Rishika Tellamsetty, December
Teacher: Sheri Herauf
School: Windemere Ranch, San Ramon
Poetry 8th Grade
1st Place
Name: Marilyn Jia, From Me to You
Teacher: Leslie Detter
School: Joaquin Moraga, Moraga
2nd Place
Name: Chloe Cheung, I Wish I Could Tell You
Teacher: James Flowers
School: Joaquin Moraga, Moraga
3rd Place
Name: Bella Vuong, First Kiss
Teacher: Ernesto Minglana
School: Sequoia Middle, Pleasant Hill
Honorable Mention
Name: Kate Wang, The Nature of Jellyfish
Teacher: Sydney Maxwell
School: Dorris-Eaton, San Ramon
Name: Audrey Xi, Resplendent
Teacher: Melissa Parker
School: Dorris-Eaton, San Ramon
Name: Adri Walker, Of Machinery and Men
Teacher: Julie Scarpelli
School: Seven Hills, Walnut Creek
Name: Saoirse Hansen, Not Just Jam
Teacher: John Scioscia
School: Pine Valley, San Ramon
Personal Narrative
8th Grade
1st Place
Name: Soumya Pradhan, Sweet Contentment
Teacher: Randal Hart
School: Windemere Ranch, San Ramon
2nd Place
Name: Bella Vuong, Forever in My Heart
Teacher: Ernesto Minglana
School: Sequoia Middle, Pleasant Hill
3rd Place
Name: Wendy Bo, Hold My Hand
Teacher: James Flowers
School: Joaquin Moraga, Moraga
Honorable Mention
Name: Dawson Weer, The Ski Trip of a Lifetime
Teacher: Ernesto Minglana
School: Sequoia Middle, Pleasant Hill
Name: Emma Wong, Symphony in 2020
Teacher: Susan McGill
School: Orinda Middle, Orinda
Name: Noor Ahmed, Swept Away
Teacher: James Flowers
School: Joaquin Moraga, Moraga
Name: Gillian Davis, Casual Homophobia
Teacher: Julie Scarpelli
School: Seven Hills
Short Story
8th Grade
1st Place
Name: Serafina Hwang, A Forced Removal from the Closet
Teacher: Helena Lamb
School: Foothill Middle, Walnut Creek
2nd Place
Name: Natasha Yee, Skin Deep
Teacher: Mrs. Daly
School: Stone Valley, Alamo
3rd Place
Name: Emma Chigbu, Beauty Sleep
Teacher: Marcy Batza
School: Gale Ranch, San Ramon
Honorable Mention
Name: Neetra Chakraborty, The 500 Words
Teacher: Mitchell Jensen
School: Windemere Middle, San Ramon
Name: Sydney Mielcarski, Growing Through Concrete
Teacher: Mari Mielcarski
School: Homeschool
Name: Chetana Senthil, Dear Gracie
Teacher: Mitchell Jensen
School: Windemere Middle, San Ramon
Name: Krisha Singhani, #Reality Check
Teacher: Marissa Gillette
School: Diablo Vista, D
