Franklin 8th Grader Recognized by National Council of Teachers of English as "Promising Young Writer"

Superintendent Lucas Giguere is pleased to announce that 8th grader Molly McKinnon has been recognized as a 2024 Promising Young Writer by the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE).

McKinnon, who attends Annie Sullivan Middle School, was one of 177 students nominated to participate in the Promising Young Writers Program.

Her submission was a short story that captures the devastating results of teen depression when it is not addressed, according to Middle School English Language Arts teacher Jackye Hughes, who submitted McKinnon's work to the program. Written from the first-person point of view, the tone and mood of the story pull the reader in immediately, Hughes said.

Judges gave McKinnon's short story a "Superior" rating.

"Writing is an important skill and art form that needs to be nourished and encouraged," Superintendent Giguere said. "Congratulations to Molly for this recognition and I look forward to reading what she writes next."

The Promising Young Writers Program is part of NCTE’s commitment to stimulating and recognizing the writing talents of 8th-grade students across the country. The school-based writing program was established in 1985 to stimulate and recognize talented 8th-grade writers, as well as to emphasize the importance of writing skills among all 8th-grade students.

Schools in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, U.S. territories, Canada, and American schools abroad are eligible to nominate students. This year, students were nominated from 33 states and Puerto Rico, as well as Canada and South Africa. Each submission is evaluated holistically by two to three independent judges who consider content, purpose, audience, tone, word choice, organization, development, and style.

In the past five years, seven students from Annie Sullivan Middle School have been recognized through the Promising Young Writers Program, according to Hughes. 

For more information about the Promising Young Writers Program, see http://www.ncte.org/awards/promising-young-writers/

The National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) is the nation’s most comprehensive literacy organization, supporting more than 25,000 teachers across the Pre-K through college spectrum. Through the expertise of its members, NCTE has served at the forefront of every major improvement in the teaching and learning of English and the language arts since 1911.

Franklin 8th Grader Recognized by National Council of Teachers of English as "Promising Young Writer"