By Jean Wang:
Three seniors have been honored by the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) with the 2011 NCTE Achievement Awards in Writing, recognizing them as some of the best student writers in the nation. Seniors Melia Dunbar, Hannah Katznelson and Ashley Ngu were three of the 520 high school seniors chosen from 1,649 students nominated in their junior year by teachers from the around the nation.
Schools were allotted nominations based on their respective student populations, with Gunn nominating three juniors last year. The nominated students submitted samples of their best writing and completed an impromptu writing sample on one of two themes, under timed supervision. Their writing samples were then judged by a team of English teachers for imaginative and effective use of language to inform and move an audience. The honorees were notified of their award this past September.
