There was fierce competition for all the awards in the first annual Eagle Eye Short Story Contest.  But there can only be one winner (or in this case three) and the results are as follows:

The People’s Choice Award goes to sophomore Rae Bonsell for her story “She” over freshman Hunter Jackson’s “The Untold Legend” by a margin of only 39 votes.

Sophomore Angela Wilkins’ “Pendulum” wins second place with an average score of 27 out of 35 in the second round.

Finally, with a score of 28/35, the first place winner of the 2014 Short Story Contest is sophomore Adam Zook with his story “Lemons.”

“I’m really excited. I didn’t really expect to win but my friends and family worked hard to share it. I’m really thankful and flattered,” said Bonsell.

Learning about the contest through Civics teacher and Eagle Eye Advisor Mr. Cammarata, Bonsell decided to submit her story because she wanted to share her writing with her peers.

“I am extremely happy and proud of myself… [and] also shocked because there were so many stories entered into the contest,” said Wilkins, the second place winner.

The margin was only one point between Wilkin’s score and the score of the first place winner.

The judging consisted of two rounds, the first by a panel of students and the second by the English department faculty.

Wilkins first learned about the Short Story Contest from the morning announcements, and thought it would be a good way to showcase her writing. She would like to thank the teachers who took the time to read her story and the people who voted for her.

Zook earned 28 out of 35 points on the teacher’s second round ballots, the aforementioned margin being only one point between his and Wilkins’ scores.

“I was honestly surprised. I knew my story was good but wasn’t sure if it would win,” said Zook.

Zook learned about the contest through friends in the Eagle Eye. He chose to submit “Lemons” because, “It was a story I was confident with, [and I] thought it displayed my best work.”

“The Eagle Eye wants showcase all the talents in the school, not just sports and music. Good writers should get recognition too,” said Mr. Cammarata, the Eagle Eye adviser.