Lafayette Public Library recognizes winners of writing contest

Lafayette Public Library has announced the winners of the 2024 Writes of Spring Writing Contest.

LAFAYETTE, La. (KLFY) – Lafayette Public Library has announced the winners of the 2024 Writes of Spring Writing Contest.

The library received 339 entries this year, nearly 100 more 2023. The original works include fiction, poetry and personal narratives in English, French and Spanish.

The contest is open to all students in grades K – 12 who live in Lafayette Parish, or the surrounding parishes of Acadia, Iberia, St. Landry, St. Martin and Vermilion. 

Writes of Spring is an annual writing competition that was started 22 years ago as a way to give local students a chance to show off their creative writing talents. Volunteers, including librarians, teachers and educators, judge each category.

Each winner will be given a copy of the anthology of works from all the 2024 winners, as well as their official certificate.

The winners of Writes of Spring 2024:

Elementary School

Fiction (Kindergarten, 1st and 2nd Grades)

• 1st Place: Bishop Drapekin, “Supa Fail: A Gaming Story” (Cathedral-Carmel School)
• 2nd Place: Hains Pefferkorn, “The Puppies and the Pyramid” (Sts. Peter and Paul Catholic School)
• 3rd Place: Genevieve Speeg, “The Little Seed” (St. Pius Elementary)

Personal Narrative (Kindergarten, 1st and 2nd Grades)

• 1st Place: Sawyer Williams, “Two Times I Got Hurt at School” (Woodvale Elementary)
• 2nd Place: Cece Hamilton, “The Day I Went to the Park” (Woodvale Elementary)
• 3rd Place: Taylor Wang, “A Trip to Disney” (Episcopal School of Acadiana)

Poetry (Kindergarten, 1st and 2nd Grades)

• 1st Place: Briley Bach, “Little Things” (Ernest Gallet Elementary)
• 2nd Place: Oliver Alfred, “The Park of Poetry” (Green T. Lindon Elementary)
• 3rd Place: Viaan Singhal, “Wonders” (Ernest Gallet Elementary)

Fiction (3rd and 4th Grades)

• 1st Place: Janie Fruge, “Adventures of the Lost Ball” (Teche Elementary)
• 2nd Place: Genevieve Hoffpauir, “The Worsening Day” (Episcopal School of Acadiana)
• 3rd Place: Norah Thom, “Bumblebee” (Episcopal School of Acadiana)

Personal Narrative (3rd and 4th Grades)

• 1st Place: Mikey Cortez, “New Orleans Newbie” (Cathedral-Carmel School)
• 2nd Place: Elizabeth Hollier, “The Healing” (Cathedral-Carmel School)
• 3rd Place: Annie Adams, “The Very Best Time of My Life” (Cathedral-Carmel Scool)

Poetry (3rd and 4th Grades)

• 1st Place: Aubrey Drew, “Bump, Set, Spike” (Episcopal School of Acadiana)
• 2nd Place: Addy Brandon, “Snake” (Episcopal School of Acadiana)
• 3rd Place: Nate Walton, “Old Man” (Episcopal School of Acadiana)

French Poetry (3rd and 4th Grades)

• 1st Place: Magalie Chang-Fong, “Dans mon jardin” (Prairie Elementary)

Middle School

Fiction (5th and 6th Grades)

• 1st Place: Audrey Cahill, “Lost in My Thoughts” (Episcopal School of Acadiana)
• 2nd Place: Nola Buteaux, “Rain” (Acadiana Renaissance Charter Academy)
• 3rd Place: Evangeline LeBlanc, “How Tigers Earn Their Stripes” (Broadmoor Elementary)

Personal Narrative (5th and 6th Grades)

• 1st Place: Emmeline Rhodes, “The Great Ice Cream Truck Chase” (Cathedral-Carmel School)
• 2nd Place: Genevieve Richard, “Climb to the Crown” (Teche Elementary)

Poetry (5th and 6th Grades)

• 1st Place: Karmyn Babineaux, “Growing Old” (Teche Elementary)
• 2nd Place: Amelie Broussard, “How I See the World” (Prairie Elementary)
• 3rd Place: Amy Thomas, “Wheels” (Westminster Christian Academy)

French Personal Narrative (5th and 6th Grades)

• 1st Place: Gracie Leblanc, “Ecole Intermediare” (Prairie Elementary)

Fiction (7th and 8th Grades)

• 1st Place: Amelia Ducatel, “The Day” (Cathedral-Carmel School)
• 2nd Place: Gabi Hebert, “Eagles Land” (John Paul the Great Academy)
• 3rd Place: Addyson Taylor, “Revolution’s Unraveling Dance” (David Thibodaux STEM Magnet Academy)

Personal Narrative (7th and 8th Grades)

• 1st Place: Stella Walker, “A Dream Come True” (Cathedral-Carmel School)
• 2nd Place: Alex Montet, “A Cross-Country Personal Record” (St. Cecilia)
• 3rd Place: Camille Bernard, “Every Little Girl” (St. Pius Elementary)

Poetry (7th and 8th Grades)

• 1st Place: Sophia Domingue, “The Sound of Music” (St. Pius Elementary)
• 2nd Place: Mariya Marcus, “I am From” (St. Pius Elementary)
• 3rd Place: Clare Thomson, “Trust” (St. Pius Elementary)

High School

Fiction (9th and 10th Grades)

• 1st Place: Martha Odom, “The Turning Pointe” (Ascension Episcopal School)
• 2nd Place: Marc Canter, “House of Guilt” (David Thibodaux STEM Magnet Academy)
• 3rd Place: Rudra Karadkhelkar, “The Enigma of the Cherry Blossom” (Lafayette High School)

Personal Narrative (9th and 10th Grades)

• 1st Place: Luka Reynolds, “My Experience in the Mental Hospital” (Southside High School)
• 2nd Place: Emma Roszell, “What I Learned From Taylor Swift” (Southside High School)

Poetry (9th and 10th Grades)

• 1st Place: Carys Grindrod, “You Have to Get Back Up” (Southside High School)
• 2nd Place: Brie Jones, “Mermaid Girl” (David Thibodaux STEM Magnet Academy)
• 3rd Place: Collin Thibodeaux, “What I Wanted and What I Got” (Southside High School)

French Fiction (9th and 10th Grades)

• 1st Place: Beau McCoy, “Le Loup Apprend Une Leçon” (Saint Thomas More Catholic High School)
• 2nd Place: Olivia Dore’, “Le Ciel de Scintillement” (Saint Thomas More Catholic High School)

French Poetry (9th and 10th Grades)

• 1st Place: Emma Phillips, “Les quatre saisons” (Saint Thomas More Catholic High School)
• 2nd Place: Nina Foss, “Ode à Marianne” (Saint Thomas More Catholic High School)
• 3rd Place: Emma Domec, “La Plage” (Saint Thomas More Catholic High School)

Fiction (11th and 12th Grades)

• 1st Place: Audrey Pinkley, “Swim” (Comeaux High School)
• 2nd Place: Katherine Hotard, “The Outside Looking In” (Saint Thomas More Catholic High School)
• 3rd Place: Clay Hebert, “The Drive Home” (Saint Thomas More Catholic High School)

Personal Narrative (11th and 12th Grades)

• 1st Place: Grant Deshotels, “My Big Game” (Saint Thomas More Catholic High School)
• 2nd Place: Reagan Rantz, “Gone But Never Forgotten” (Saint Thomas More Catholic High School)
• 3rd Place: Charlotte Brown, “Not a Charity Case” (Saint Thomas More Catholic High School)

Poetry (11th and 12th Grades)

• 1st Place: Auden Saft, “ICARUS” (Lafayette High School)
• 2nd Place: Ava Thibodeaux, “Continuum” (Teurlings Catholic High School)
• 3rd Place: Everett Foard, “Man on the Moon” (Saint Thomas More Catholic High School)

French Fiction (11th and 12th Grades)

• 1st Place: Caroline Meaux, “L'écureuil prodigue” (Saint Thomas More Catholic High School)

French Poetry (11th and 12th Grades)

• 1st Place: Ava Segura, “Ode à l'été” (Saint Thomas More Catholic High School)
• 2nd Place: Patricia Engelhardt, “Ode au bouquet de fleurs” (Saint Thomas More Catholic High School)
• 3rd Place: Ruthie Pippin, “Laisse le monde derrière” (Saint Thomas More Catholic High School)

Spanish Fiction (11th and 12th Grades)

• 1st Place: Keiana Batiste, “El Secreto del Relojero” (Opelousas High School)

Spanish Personal Narrative (11th and 12th Grades)

• 1st Place: Keegan Moten, “Un Viaje Inolvidable” (Opelousas High School)

Spanish Poetry (11th and 12th Grades)

• 1st Place: Ryon Lafleur, “Sinfonia del Alma” (Opelousas High School)
• 2nd Place: Gabrielle Francis, “Mariposas” (Opelousas High School)
• 3rd Place: Takayla Coleman, “Latidos del Corazon” (Opelousas High School)

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