Caledonia — Three years ago, Duncan Lake Middle School English teacher Jessie Belote helped lead the Caledonia Creative Writing Team to JustWrite Ohio’s high-school state final writing tournament.
Despite being younger than high-schoolers and from another state, the team of eighth-graders earned third place in their division.
Fast forward to this spring, when the high-school Caledonia Creative Writing Team became JustWrite’s State Tournament Grand Champions, taking the title out of 59 teams from four states hosted at Ashland University in Ohio.
“We won the whole darn thing,” Belote said. “This is such a full circle moment.”
JustWrite is a creative writing program designed for sixth- to 12th-grade students across Michigan, Ohio, West Virginia and Pennsylvania. It provides young writers with the opportunity to showcase their storytelling skills in a fast-paced, genre-based competition, build confidence and connect with fellow writers. Students’ work is also published in the JustWrite yearly anthology, “Collection of Voices.”
In just a few short years, the Caledonia team has grown by word of mouth and a few of the original eighth-grade members remain on the high-school team. The middle school now has a separate team and they took ninth place at states this year.
Junior Addison Cook has been a part of the creative writing team since its inception. She said she has learned to go with the flow when it comes to writing on the spot during competition.
“You just have to keep going,” Addison said. “When I write stories, these are the general events I want to take place and I have specific lines I like, but then when you have less time, sometimes sections get shortened.”
During the competition season — December to May — Belote meets with both creative writing teams after school, at the high school and Duncan Lake Middle School.
Students practice writing for the seven different genre prompts — classic horror, realistic fiction, fantasy, mystery, science fiction, narrative nonfiction and historical fiction — as well as learn more about their individual writing styles to strengthen their skills.
At the competitions, each student comes prepared to write for any of the seven genres and they do not know which one they will get until the prompt is given. Students have 45 minutes to complete their stories.
Sophomore Sophia Price said the first sentence of a competition story is like a first impression for the judges: “If it’s hot garbage no one is going to want to read it.”
“I love how unique everyone’s own voice is,” senior Caydence Reed added. “We all go into the round with the same prompts and the same time limit and everyone executes it differently.”
Reflections on a Good Run
As they wrapped up another competition year, new and seasoned creative writers shared what they love most about being a part of the team.
“I learned how to push myself with my writing,” freshman Oslo Langeweg said. “With a prompt and genre and time limit, you have to write something you would not usually write and learn to be more creative.”
“I really appreciate this team,” senior Samuel Lusaya said. “I found it really inviting and supportive of new people and it provides the opportunity to write your own thoughts, versus responding to a school prompt.”
Freshman Kendyl Clapper said she likes the creative writing community because “you get to say things in your writing that you can’t say out loud.”
Added senior Leah Vanhall, “The writing competition made me feel that despite my learning disabilities, I can succeed and win a medal.”
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