For nearly two decades now, students from public schools all over Georgia have been competing in the Young Georgia Authors Competition. “It’s a chance for writers from kindergarten through 12 grade to enter any kind of writing–a poem or an essay–and have it judged,” said Ashley Crump, the senior county level winner for HHS.

Junior Henry Tollett said, “It’s a competition where students enter a piece of writing, and it is judged at the school level by some of the English teachers here, and then it is judged at the regional level by a board of people, and so on to the state level.”

“It’s exciting [being a county level winner] because your story gets to go on, and people will get to see what you write and read it. In a way, it boosts your confidence in a way that you know that you do have skill in writing and you are a good writer,” said Camryn Birtwistle, the freshman county lever winner for HHS.

Camryn Birtwistle’s piece, ‘Monochromatic,’ is “About a girl named Ansley who falls in love with her best friend, but it is not requited. Because it [their love] is not requited, a flower grows in her lungs, signifying her love for him, and slowly killing her.”

Saulye Nichols’ piece, ‘Who I Am,’ is “about a retired hit man who goes to an orphanage and adopts this girl, and he later finds out something crazy about her.”

‘Felicity,’ by Ashley Crump, is about “these two girls who are reading a letter that a man wrote about a huge adventure to find a necklace for the queen. The queen would give him all the things for him and his family that they would need in return. He falls in love with a woman helping him on his adventure, and there is a lot of conflict.”

Henry Tollett wrote ‘Diplopia’ which is about “how people interact with art based on their own life experiences. The story is about a guy, living a relatively happy life, who created something that he, and everyone around him, thinks is amazing. Then one of his friends comes along, who is living a tougher life, and he thinks that it looks very sad. The whole story is about how the two people interact differently solely based on their life.”

Just before filing this article, the county office announced that Camryn Birtwistle, Henry Tollett, and Saulye Nichols made it to district! We are very proud of our talented Generals!