SPARTAN ACADEMY

WordSmith competition is for grades 7-12.  There are three dashes:  the 40-word, the 80-word and the 120-word.  It is very much like an athletic competition in that they practice and practice.  We have coaching sessions after school in the weeks building up to the competition.  Each school can only enter two students in each grade.  For WSHS, that is the worst part as we have so many good writers.  We have to have our own in-house tryouts to determine which two go.  Our 9^th grade team was made up of Jacob and Brendan. 

The competition comes from every school in Shelby County, including the private schools.  There is a 1^st, 2^nd and 3^rd place winner in each dash.  There are two honorable mentions.  All those who place are awarded ribbons and are then allowed to compete in the 400-word dash, which takes place late in the afternoon after all the other dashes are over.  Of our 8 contestants, seven took ribbons and got to come back to compete in the 400.  We don’t have those results yet. 

120-Word Dash – Jacob (9^th Grade), 2^nd place

80-Word Dash – Brendan (9^th Grade), 2^nd place

Ms. Stauffer