Every year the Raleigh Fine Arts Society holds a special literary competition for students grades tenth through twelfth. The Literary Contest takes submissions each year from students all around the Raleigh area. Each student is allowed to submit one original story to be reviewed. This year Sara Dudley, Wakefield High School English teacher, decided to have all of her creative writing students enter.  Her efforts paid off because three students, Amanda Dacunto, Amanda Tripp  and Dorienne Davis were all award winners.

“All of my creative writing students were great” said Dudley; “It’s good that other people recognize their skills as well!”

Wakefield proudly represented this year by all students that participated, three young women in particular. Amanda Dacunto and Amanda Tripp were both finalists and Dorienne Davis achieved tenth grade honorable mention.

“My story was science fiction, was set in the future, and was about a man who lived on a space ship and wanted to come down and see what earth was like because the government kept everything on the inside,” said Tripp about her story, 32843. Her science fiction short story is an example of the creativity that this completion allows. It gives students freedom to express themselves through words. There are little limitations to what a story must consist of so that the students’ creativity is not hindered.

“I wrote a historical fiction story on Nazi Germany, and the beginning of that time before a lot of stuff happened,” said Davis about her story, The Secret, “I was so interested in the topic and I wanted to learn more.”

RFA inspires more than just creativity but proactively in learning. It gives students a nudge to explore the topics they are curious about.

“Any competition in any facet of society is important. It gives a sense of achievement to have been a finalist or an honorable mention,” said Dudley.

She was also a participant in RFA when she was in high school. She decided to enter her students to give them the chance to win some cash prizes and awards. Little did she know the great success her students would have.

“I will definitely go further with writing after this,” said Davis.