Catholic Teachers Recognize Excellent Young Authors

TORONTO, June 10, 2016 /CNW/ - Fifty-three students across the province, from Junior Kindergarten through Grade 12, have been recognized by the Ontario English Catholic Teachers' Association (OECTA) for excellence in writing. The Young Authors Awards/Prix jeunes écrivains acknowledge English and French writing in categories ranging from poetry and short stories to plays and non-fiction. 

"The winning submissions in the Young Authors/jeunes écrivains awards are among some of the best youth writing I've seen," says Ann Hawkins, President of OECTA. "I am always inspired by the students' demonstration of their love of language, their imagination, their creativity and insight. I'm also aware of the knowledge and support from our teachers that contribute to the finished product."

Winners are selected from hundreds of entries from across the province. For every student who makes it to the provincial level of competition, there are thousands more who participate in the program locally.

Winning entries include:

Mettez-vous dans ma peau: La Paralysie Cérébrale, a non-fiction piece that provides the reader with a personal look at the everyday challenges of an adolescent dealing with cerebral palsy "in a world built for normalcy."

La légende des étoiles, a whimsical and charming tale of how the constellations were unexpectedly formed by two new brave animal friends, Aquila and Ursa Major.

Light vs. Dark – Who Will Prevail? Book 1: Race to the Relics, a story of a young girl's fate that had already been decided for her from birth, a destiny that she must fulfill, and a war in which she will be forced to fight.

Roots, a poem about a girl forced to change who she is and where she came from, with her very ancestry on the line.

A list of 2016 winners and a commemorative book of all winning submissions are at available at www.oecta.on.ca

OECTA represents the almost 45,000 professional women and men who teach all grades in publicly funded English Catholic schools in Ontario.

SOURCE Ontario English Catholic Teachers' Association

Michelle Despault, Director of Communications, 416-925-2493 ext 509, [email protected]