News and Features
Two regional Gold Key winners go on to receive national awards
Update: The article below was written in January. Since then two of the six Gold Key winners—Grace Hernquist and Meghan Hershey—won National Gold Key Awards for their submissions. They will receive medals at an awards ceremony in Carnegie Hall later this spring. This is an outstanding achievement as few students win at the national level.
Thirty-three Lancaster Mennonite School students, all from the Lancaster Campus, have received writing awards through the Lancaster County Regional Scholastic Writing Awards Contest. The writers will be recognized at an awards ceremony at 2 p.m. on February 13 at Lincoln Middle School, Lancaster. The Scholastic Art & Writing Awards are the nation’s longest-running, largest, and most prestigious recognition program for creative teenagers in the visual and literary arts.
Standing, L-R: McKenzie Sauder, Meghan Hershey,
Michelle Bendit and Saier Zeng
It is also an honor for the English teachers who worked with the students, says Superintendent Richard Thomas. “We appreciate the time, energy and encouragement our teachers invested in these students,” he said. The four teachers are Kathy Engle, Alice Lauver, Jon Metzler and Jane Moyer.
The writing categories for the contest include dramatic script, humor, journalism, personal essay/memoir, persuasive writing, poetry, novel writing, science fiction/fantasy, short story, and short short story. Awards are based on originality, technical skill, and the emergence of a personal vision or voice.
Regional Gold Key pieces continue on to judging at the national level. Winners at the national level will be honored later this year at a ceremony at Carnegie Hall.
Writing awards received at the Lancaster Campus are (all high school students except Micaiah Barley):
Gold Keys- Micaiah Barley, grade 8, daughter of Rev. Sharon Barley, Lancaster, and Philip Barley, Washington Boro.
- Michelle Bendit, grade 12, daughter of David and Deborah Bendit, Landisville
- Grace Hernquist, grade 9, daughter of Christina Fraser-Hernquist, Lancaster
- Meghan Hershey, grade 11, daughter of Joseph and Ann Hershey, Mount Joy
- McKenzie Sauder, grade 12, daughter of Cindy Sauder, Elizabethtown, and David Sauder, Mount Joy
- Saier Zeng, grade 12, daughter of John Hanlon and Guangting Sui, Lancaster
- Madison Alley, grade 11, daughter of Susan Mac a’Bhaird, Berwick, and Dr. Albert Alley, Berwick
- Meghan Brady, grade 12, daughter of William and Debbie Matthews, Lancaster
- Olivia Edwards, grade 11, daughter of Curtis and Donna Edwards, Lancaster
- Bonita Garber, grade 12, daughter of Kenneth and Nan Garber, Bainbridge
- Melina Godshall, grade 12, daughter of Rikki and Lynn Godshall, Lancaster
- Carissa Harnish, grade 12, daughter of Dwight and Jennifer Rohrer, Manheim
- Ye Jin Kwon, grade 12, daughter of Young Gi Kwon and Sun Hee Moon, Kyunggi Do, South Korea
- Tasha Landis, grade 12, daughter of Stu and Starla Landis, Lancaster
- Keilah Maldonado, grade 12, daughter of Evelyn Sepulveda, Lancaster, and Louis Maldonado, Lancaster
- Kaitlyn Nafziger, grade 12, daughter of Eric and Susan Nafziger, Parkesburg
- Emily Shank, grade 12, daughter of Roland and Donna Shank, Lancaster
- Benjamin Shoff, grade 12, son of Edward and Patricia Shoff, Lititz
- Jason Spicher, grade 12, son of James and Carol Spicher, Mountville
- Sally Wenger, grade 12, daughter of Jerry and Denise Wenger, Bird-in-Hand
- Jillian Zook, grade 12, daughter of Paul and Audrey Zook, Lancaster
- Zachary Zook, grade 12, son of Gordon and Carol Zook, Willow Street
- Katherine Andrews, grade 12, daughter of Randall and Christine Andrews, Lancaster
- Janell Baliles, grade 12, daughter of David and Jean Baliles, New Holland
- Isaiah Bornman, grade 12, son of Jonathan and Carol Bornman, Lancaster
- Christi Boronow, grade 11, daughter of Paul and Lynn Boronow, Lancaster
- Amy Collins, grade 12, daughter of Stephen and Laurie Collins, Landenberg
- Emily Ebaugh, grade 12, daughter of Mark and Barb Ebaugh, Holtwood
- Olivia Edwards, grade 11, daughter of Curtis and Donna Edwards, Lancaster
- Renae Gochnauer, grade 9, daughter of David and Rebecca Gochnauer, Conestoga
- Sarah Terlizzi, grade 12, daughter of Maureen Terlizzi, Gap
- Keri Weaver, grade 12, daughter of Todd and Anne Weaver, Brownstown
- Luke Weierbach, grade 12, son of John and Kathy Weierbach, Lititz
- Andrew Wilkins, grade 9, son of Timothy and Andrea Wilkins, Narvon