By Karla McArthur, Correspondent
Students from across Etowah County Schools were recognized for their creativity, storytelling and digital skills during the 2026 Etowah County Schools Creative Writing Contest, which featured entries in fiction, non-fiction, poetry, drama, illustrated story and webpage categories from kindergarten through 12th grade.
In kindergarten-first grade fiction, winners were Karrigan Edwards of Glencoe Elementary, first, for Watch Out! Here Comes Moose!; Jaxson Humphrey of West End Elementary, second, for My Wish; Clara Bea Hill of Hokes Bluff Elementary, third, for The Day I Met and Rode a Unicorn; and honorable mention recipients Samuel Davis of Gaston Elementary for Big Foot Hunters, Eli Reeves of Carlisle for The Scary Desert Day and Ryleigh Parks of Southside Elementary for The Dragon.
In kindergarten-first grade illustrated story, winners were Ximena Cabrera of Southside Elementary, first, for The Knight; Arizbeth Ramos Corona of Carlisle, second, for The Fair; Micha Overby of Carlisle, third, for National Princess Day; and honorable mention recipients Pearse Gunter of John Jones for Rusty, Jordan Whisenant of Duck Springs for Rooseeter and Rumi My Crazy Pups and Elli Jay Freeman of Southside Elementary for An Elephant.
In kindergarten-first grade non-fiction, Luke Garnett of Carlisle won first for My First Deer; Drayden McCloud of Carlisle was second for My Favorite Season—Basketball Season!; Hudson Lynn of Hokes Bluff Elementary was third for The Titanic; and honorable mentions went to Mercy Garrison of John Jones for The Saturalia and Corbyn Paulson of Southside Elementary for My Favorite Thing.
In kindergarten-first grade poetry, Charly Battles of Southside Elementary placed first for If I Were a Snowman; Lainey Willett of Carlisle was second for Church; Ares Elkins of Gaston Elementary was third for Santa; and honorable mentions went to Charlie Dyess of Glencoe Elementary for Soccer and Zoey Walden of Southside Elementary for Fall.
In second-third grade fiction, Paisley West of Ivalee placed first for The Sorry Little Mouse; Kanon Dogan of Whitesboro was second for Finding Rex’s Mama; Charley Hill of Whitesboro was third for Ruby the Fox; and Elsie Haskins of John Jones earned honorable mention for My Stuffed Unicorn Story.
In second-third grade illustrated story, Cadince Turner of Carlisle won first for The Magical Mirror; Tessa Smith of Southside Elementary was second for The Magic Key Adventure; and Nash Lavender of Hokes Bluff Elementary was third for Jeff the Snowman.
In second-third grade non-fiction, Georgia Sewell of Southside Elementary placed first for My Family Farm; Eleanor Coleman of Whitesboro was second for Wolves; Kinsley Smith of Whitesboro was third for Tater the Buck; and Jace Haynes of Carlisle earned honorable mention for My Disease.
In second-third grade poetry, Lilly James of Ivalee won first for August; Millie Garnett of Southside Elementary was second for God Is Good; and Myla Barron of Hokes Bluff Elementary was third for Roller Skating.
In fourth-sixth grade drama, Anderson Pierce and Jake Verkaki of Rainbow Middle placed first for Camp Solaria: New Beginnings; Lucy Guinn of Glencoe Middle was second for The Secret Surprise; and Catherine Hamm of Southside Elementary was third for The Midnight School Disaster.
In fourth-sixth grade fiction, Clementine Hilburn of Ivalee won first for The Dream; Anderson Pierce of Rainbow Middle was second for The Knight in Shining Armour; and Bentley Lowery of Glencoe Elementary was third for The Taco Who Loved Basketball.
In fourth-sixth grade illustrated story, Mason Rowell of Southside Elementary placed first for A Fire Adventure; Charlotte Gregory of Glencoe Elementary was second for The Door; Hadley Silvey of Southside Elementary was third for The Field Trip; and Ava Wilson of Highland Elementary earned honorable mention for What Is Christmas.
In fourth-sixth grade non-fiction, Parker Hamby of John Jones won first for I Survived a Tillaux Fracture; Korah Sewell of Southside Elementary was second for My Healing Journey; Andrew Hall of Southside Elementary was third for Me and My Best Bud, Jace; and honorable mentions went to Faith Barton of Gaston Elementary for A Day on the Farm, Levi Lankford of Glencoe Elementary for A Fishing Afternoon at the Crawfish Pond and Abbott Stewart of John Jones for Benvenuto in Italia (Welcome to Italy).
In fourth-sixth grade poetry, Jaida Sims of Rainbow Middle placed first for The Girl I’m Becoming; Asher Gray of Glencoe Elementary was second for Agnes and Waffles; Rae Brinley of Ivalee was third for Me and You; and Rhett Rampey of Glencoe Elementary earned honorable mention for The Line’s Strongest Link.
In fourth-sixth grade webpage, Molly Sumners of Rainbow Middle won first for You’ve Arrived! Disney with Molly G; Olivia Bozeman of Southside Elementary was second for Sign Language; and Haley Harbin of Southside Elementary was third for Haley’s Miracle.
In seventh-ninth grade drama, Cora Lang of Sardis Middle placed first for Written for You; Kylie Riley of Glencoe Middle was second for The Blank Page Special; Addie Amos of Glencoe Middle was third for Stella’s Way Out; and Katelynn Smith of West End High earned honorable mention for The Mystery of the Haunted Playground.
In seventh-ninth grade fiction, Anzleigh Minton of Southside High won first for A Holocaust Remembrance Story: I Can Only Hope; Okat Eta of Rainbow Middle and Emersen Champagne of Southside High tied for second with Melting Ice and Game Over; Sara Galloway of West End High was third for The Things I See; and Callie Cook of Glencoe Middle earned honorable mention for Source.
In seventh-ninth grade illustrated story, Abby Lee of Glencoe Middle placed first for The Tale of Charlie Croak; Tinsley Craig of Glencoe Middle was second for The Whispering Woods and the Lost Acorn; and Addie Foster of Gaston High was third for Sara the Flamingo and Larry the Parrot.
In seventh-ninth grade non-fiction, Evelyn Sparks of Rainbow Middle won first for ACAP From the Student Perspective; Emmie Mabrey of Glencoe Middle was second for Perseverance; Joshua Cornelius of Sardis Middle was third for A Pearl Harbor Survivor’s Story; and Lilly Ford of Southside High earned honorable mention for The Price of Convenience.
In seventh-ninth grade poetry, Addison Taylor of Southside High placed first for The Porch Is Empty; Lilly Grace McGowan of Sardis Middle was second for Dance With Your Heart; Harley Ray of Gaston High and Arraya Vail of Glencoe Middle tied for third with The One That Got Away and Life Is Like Seasons; and honorable mentions went to Caroline Kilgo of Southside High for The Weight of the World and Brylan Whisenant of Sardis Middle for Content Again.
In seventh-ninth grade webpage, Calleigh Wood of Hokes Bluff High School won first for Freida McFadden; Callie Cook of Glencoe Middle was second for The Holocaust; and Allie Posey of Hokes Bluff High School was third for J.K. Rowling.
In 10th-12th grade drama, Harmony Oliver of Southside High won first for Perfect Machine.
In 10th-12th grade fiction, Chelsea Green of Southside High placed first for The Light; Anthony Harris of Sardis High was second for The Package; and Audrey Wilkinson of West End High was third for Lies, Murders, and Mysteries.
In 10th-12th grade illustrated story, Italy Ainsworth of Glencoe High won first for Keep Out: A Fairy Tale.
In 10th-12th grade non-fiction, Shayna Price of Sardis High placed first for My Testimony; Chelsea Green of Southside High was second for Just How It Goes; and Heaven Freeman of Glencoe High was third for Music Is My Therapy.
In 10th-12th grade poetry, McKenzie McClellan of Glencoe High won first for The Longest Goodbye; Kamryn McCright of West End High and McKenzie McClellan tied for second with My Mom Is Dying and A Teacher’s Touch; Kari Juarez of West End High was third for Alien; and Madelyn Jones of Southside High earned honorable mention for Cajun Boiled.
In 10th-12th grade webpage, Sophie Nicholson of Hokes Bluff High won first for Victor Hugo, and Shyanne Freeman of Hokes Bluff High placed second for Holly Jackson.
