Students rewarded for superb writing
Elementary schools across Abington School District recognized the district’s exemplary sixth-grade writers through the annual Silver Pen Award program.
The Silver Pen Awards began in the 1999-2000 school year and aims to award students in the district’s seven elementary schools for their sharp writing skills. Every spring, students are awarded silver pens with their names engraved. Their names are also included on a plaque that lists the award winners in each elementary school.
The Abington Educational Foundation funds the award program annually. Dr. Kelly Doyle, Abington School District’s Supervisor of Communications Arts, calls the Silver Pen program a way to encourage students to write for different audiences and use creativity.
The contest is solely open to sixth-graders as a way to acknowledge those students transitioning from the elementary to secondary level of the district.
“We wanted to recognize the outstanding writing of elementary school students and to promote writing as an enjoyable activity for the kids,” Doyle said. “One way to do that, we thought as motivation, would be to award students who show excellence in writing.” To enter, students must write a creative narrative essay on the topic of their choice.
Doyle said the contest illustrates the level of writing of students in the district.
“I think it’s a great opportunity for the kids, and we are grateful to the foundation for supporting it every year,” Doyle said.
To determine a winner, each classroom teacher submits one entry to the selection committee made up of Doyle and reading specialists representing each elementary school.
The committee evaluates the writing based on organization, style, content, focus and creativity.
The highest-scored entries from each building were selected as the silver pen award winners. Schools with larger sixth-grade class sizes were permitted to have two winning students.
Students writings took varied forms, including a space exploration journal, historical fiction, family memories, fantasy and folk tales.
Students at the school board’s May 26 meeting presented the winning essays to the school board and superintendent, where they received their silver pens.
Winners also met for a sharing workshop, called the “writers guild” at Overlook Elementary School, May 23.
The guild event was held in the school’s library, where students had snacks, shared their essays with each other and talked about how they came up with their ideas.
In prior years, the district awarded gold pen awards to secondary students, but that was discontinued recent.
Doyle said school staff members are considering reestablishing the gold award for secondary students in the future.
Overlook Elementary School reading specialist Marie Reynolds is proud of the student writers and happy to see two student winners from Overlook win in a tie.
“It’s exciting not to be able to make a choice between the two children’s exemplary work,” she said of Tara Santora and Keenan Lewis-Grasty. “It was wonderful to see both students get the award.”
Reynolds said students have an intensive reading and writing curriculum at the district, and that the contest gave students a special occasion to shine.
“It’s part of the curriculum, so it’s an opportunity for them to write, and it also gives the district an opportunity to acknowledge what they’ve learned,” Reynolds said.
The Silver Pen Awards began in the 1999-2000 school year and aims to award students in the district’s seven elementary schools for their sharp writing skills. Every spring, students are awarded silver pens with their names engraved. Their names are also included on a plaque that lists the award winners in each elementary school.
The Abington Educational Foundation funds the award program annually. Dr. Kelly Doyle, Abington School District’s Supervisor of Communications Arts, calls the Silver Pen program a way to encourage students to write for different audiences and use creativity.
The contest is solely open to sixth-graders as a way to acknowledge those students transitioning from the elementary to secondary level of the district.
“We wanted to recognize the outstanding writing of elementary school students and to promote writing as an enjoyable activity for the kids,” Doyle said. “One way to do that, we thought as motivation, would be to award students who show excellence in writing.” To enter, students must write a creative narrative essay on the topic of their choice.
Doyle said the contest illustrates the level of writing of students in the district.
“I think it’s a great opportunity for the kids, and we are grateful to the foundation for supporting it every year,” Doyle said.
To determine a winner, each classroom teacher submits one entry to the selection committee made up of Doyle and reading specialists representing each elementary school.
The committee evaluates the writing based on organization, style, content, focus and creativity.
The highest-scored entries from each building were selected as the silver pen award winners. Schools with larger sixth-grade class sizes were permitted to have two winning students.
Students writings took varied forms, including a space exploration journal, historical fiction, family memories, fantasy and folk tales.
Students at the school board’s May 26 meeting presented the winning essays to the school board and superintendent, where they received their silver pens.
Winners also met for a sharing workshop, called the “writers guild” at Overlook Elementary School, May 23.
The guild event was held in the school’s library, where students had snacks, shared their essays with each other and talked about how they came up with their ideas.
In prior years, the district awarded gold pen awards to secondary students, but that was discontinued recent.
Doyle said school staff members are considering reestablishing the gold award for secondary students in the future.
Overlook Elementary School reading specialist Marie Reynolds is proud of the student writers and happy to see two student winners from Overlook win in a tie.
“It’s exciting not to be able to make a choice between the two children’s exemplary work,” she said of Tara Santora and Keenan Lewis-Grasty. “It was wonderful to see both students get the award.”
Reynolds said students have an intensive reading and writing curriculum at the district, and that the contest gave students a special occasion to shine.
“It’s part of the curriculum, so it’s an opportunity for them to write, and it also gives the district an opportunity to acknowledge what they’ve learned,” Reynolds said.
