Sussex Academy eighth-graders bring home gold

Sussex Academy students Samantha Oliver, Nikki Loomis and Emily Musgrove may be only in eighth grade, but their writing took top state honors among high schoolers in the 2018 Scholastic Art & Writing Awards.

The three earned top state honors in journalism, making them among the 150 Delaware students honored in this year's national event, which accepts nearly 350,000 works of art and writing from students across the country in grades 7 to 12. National winners are chosen from state winners, and then honored with a reception at Carnegie Hall in New York City.

Sam, Nikki and Emily all earned Gold Key pins – the top state honor – for their journalism.

Nikki said they chose from a list of topics, and using the New York Times and Huffington Post, she said, she researched racism in the United States, particularly among Native Americans and Hispanics.

“I wanted to inform people about racism toward minorities,” Nikki said.

The girls started their projects during writing class in November. With help from their teacher, they developed and perfected their writing.

Emily said she chose a topic on transgender people for her article. Before writing, she said, she used statistics on suicide among transgender people and research on how transgender people are mistreated and misunderstood by others in society.

“I chose it because it hurts me to think that people are like that to each other,” she said. “My conclusion had a persuasive aspect. I was hoping if people know what they go through, then they would be more kind to them.”

For Sam, writing is a passion.

“I like to call it creative ramblings at 10 at night,” she said.

A year ago, she won Silver Keys for two essays and a flash fiction piece. This year's Gold Key-winning piece compared the lives of Japanese Americans on the West Coast in 1949 with controversy today that surrounds Muslims and people who may look Muslim.

Sam said she read several novels about Japanese Americans placed in internment camps during World War II. She said she also researched recent and past court cases, and was struck by a comment made by the late U.S. Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia that internment could happen again.

Sam even tried to get information from the Library of Congress. “But you have to be 17 to check out material,” she said.

The girls were not selected for national awards this year, but that's not stopping them.

“We have four years,” said Sam. “I've been working on some poetry.”

Nikki is considering something different. “I'd like to do a painting or something in pastel,” she said.

And Emily is sure she'll think of something.

“I tend to pump out stuff and randomly get awards, and I have no idea why,” she said with her characteristic smile and sense of determination.