2020 Literacy Days Winners

NCSS Announces Winners of 2020 Literacy Days Competition
Posted on 12/18/2020
literacy days student winnersThe Newton County School System (NCSS) is pleased to announce the winners of the 2020 District Literacy Days Recitation, Drama, Read Aloud, and Ready Writing competitions.

NCSS Elementary and middle schools held poetry competitions at their school and sent their grade level winners to participate in the district’s recitation contest. Competitors were judged on a number of criteria in the poetry recitation contest, including stage presence, articulation, interpretation, memory and accuracy, and difficulty of the piece.

System Recitation Contest Winners
 GRADE   WINNER    SCHOOL    POEM 
 Kindergarten   Jaylee Oats   Newton County Theme School   Proud Wonderfullyl Made Child
1st Grade   Brick Baker   Newton County Theme School   Suzanna Socked Me Sunday
2nd Grade   Eliana Hutchinson   Newton County Theme School   I Wonder
3rd Grade   Xander Wheeler   Live Oak Elementary School   Try, Try Again
4th Grade   Loghan Dudley   Middle Ridge Elementary School   Booker T. and W.E.B.
5th Grade   Briley Oller   Newton County Theme School   The Unicorn
6th Grade   Maren Poynter   Newton County Theme School   Highway to Happiness
7th Grade   Aubrey Norton   Cousins Middle School   Dear Santa
8th Grade   Naya Hatchett   Veterans Memorial Middle School   Real Me

SYSTEM READY WRITING COMPETITION WINNERS

In the Ready Writing competition, school-level champions were given a writing prompt and one hour to complete their essays. Students are scored on a rubric of six traits: ideas and content; organization; voice; word choice; sentence fluency; and conventions.

System Ready Writing Winners
GRADE    WINNER   SCHOOL   TITLE OF PIECE
3rd Grade   Grace Fowler   Newton County Theme School   A Day with Walt Disney
4th Grade   Elijah Perry   Oak Hill Elementary School   I I Could Change the World
5th Grade   Ariel Shy   Middle Ridge Elementary School   My Most Memorable Day at Middle Ridge Elementary
6th Grade   Matthew Lynn   Cousins Middle School   Too Much TV
7th Grade   Emilee Beal   Indian Creek Middle School   Culture Studies Class
8th Grade   A'Leah Gibson   Liberty Middle School   Space Exploration

SYSTEM READ ALOUD WINNERS

Students in kindergarten through second grade participated in the Read Aloud of Best Piece Contest in which students, with the teacher’s assistance, choose a piece from the student’s collected writings to read aloud to the judges. They were scored on topic, words, order, sentences and articulation.

System Read Aloud Winners
 GRADE   WINNER   SCHOOL   NAME OF PIECE
Kindergarten   Wyatt Wood   Newton County Theme School   My Hero
1st Grade   Harris Hawver   Mansfield Elementary School   My Three Wishes
2nd Grade   Aubree Parrish   Livingston Elementary School   If I Could Change the World by Helping Kids Have a Christmas to Remember

SYSTEM DRAMA TEAM WINNERS

The Liberty Middle School drama team took first place honors in the District competition with their performance of, “The Magic Marker Mystery.” Cast members included Kanya Kossonou, Kaylee Ransom, Matthew Rush, Landon Boston, and Jheloni Burt.

Winners in all categories will now represent Newton County School System at the regional competition at Griffin RESA in February, 2021.

“The Literacy Days Competition provides students with the opportunity to perform and be recognized for their talents through the celebration of the arts,” said NCSS Superintendent Samantha Fuhrey. “I am proud of each and every one of our participants as it takes a tremendous amount of talent and commitment to participate in this type of competition. They represented their schools very well.”

She added, “In addition to our poetry recitation, read aloud, and drama team winners, our district ready writing winners are also very talented. I know Newton County School System will be well represented at the Griffin RESA Regional Literacy Days Festival.”

For more information, contact Ms. Sherri Davis, Director of Public Relations for Newton County Schools, at [email protected].

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