:quality(70)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/shawmedia/HRUDUY4WO7RU7T6BFKUGTL6BWA.jpg)
The American Association of University Women Batavia-Geneva-St. Charles branch awarded 18 Tri-City middle-school students with medals for their original fiction, non-fiction and poetry writing at a ceremony and reception April 9 in St. Charles.
The event's keynote speaker was poet Jackie K. White of National Lewis University, who helped honor the winners, states a news release.
The winners were selected from more than 300 entries into the student-writing contest, which the association has hosted annually for 35 years.
The award recipients are:
• Eighth-grade fiction: Skyler Lynn Wuestenfeld (first place) of Haines Middle School; and Jackie Andrzejewski (second place) and Clarissa Barbosa (third place), both of Wredling Middle School.
• Eighth-grade non-fiction: Daniel Goetsch (first), Gabriella Pompilio (second) and Andrew Zimmers (third), all of Wredling.
• Eighth-grade poetry: Elizabeth Quintanar (first) of Wredling; and Lindsey Arnold (second) and Nicole Walley (third), both of Geneva MIddle School North.
• Seventh-grade fiction: Emily Hancock (first) of Geneva North; and Morgan Steinys (second) and Olivia Maass (third), both of Rotolo Middle School.
• Seventh-grade non-fiction: Sonya Sheptunov (first), Madi Miller (second) and Claire Koberdanz (third), all of Haines.
• Seventh-grade poetry: Dana Feeney (first), Emma Puklin (second) and Addy O’Rourke (third), all of Haines.