Tyrone Area High School’s second annual short story contest this year was a huge success. With over 8,000 votes, the support for the stories featured in the contest was overwhelming.

And the winners are…

First Place

Junior Sarah Isenberg

2,538,000 Light-years Away – 3,802 votes

Eagle Eye: How did you come up with the idea for your story? 

Sarah Isenberg: I was really inspired by Tate, a character from American Horror Story’s first season, “Murder House.” He sort of made me want to get inside the mind of a shooter, because there is two sides to every tragedy.

EE: What was your favorite part of writing your story? 

SI: Not gonna lie, the bed scene was pretty fun. Also, the actual shooting was interesting to write. I tried to keep it realistic.

EE: Did you read any of the other short stories in the contest? 

SI: Yeah, The Art of Forgetting was really nice.  

Second Place

 Junior Amelia Woodcock

Mad as a Hatter – 3, 125 votes

Eagle Eye: How did you come up with the idea for your story? 

Amelia Woodcock: I have always loved the “Alice in Wonderland” story, but there isn’t enough of the Mad Hatter in it. So, I decided to change that! 

EE: What was your favorite part of writing your story? 

AW: I liked the British accent I heard in my head while writing it. 

EE: Did you read any of the other short stories in the contest? 

AW: I liked End of Days. It was a really good idea and it was hilarious. It really didn’t get as much recognition as it deserved. 

Third Place

Chloe Makdad

The Cursor – 920 votes

Eagle Eye: How did you come up with the idea for your story? 

Chloe Makdad: Well, my idea came from my indecisiveness when coming up with an idea. Since my creative abilities are virtually nonexistent, I decided to write about my inability to write. 

EE: What was your favorite part of writing your story? 

CM: I enjoyed the opportunity to write about ideas that I normally can’t write about in a normal essay. 

EE: Did you read any of the other short stories in the contest? 

CM: Yes, I really enjoyed reading “Safe Harbor” and “Drifting Away.” They both came from an interesting perspective. 

To find out who wrote the rest of the stories in the contest, visit them now.

The three winners each received a gift card from Sheetz as their prize, $30.00 for first, $20 for second and $10 for third.

Thank you to all who voted and congratulations to the winners!