Writers are golden at Long Beach High School

Editors of Long Beach High School’s literary magazine “Fragments” earned top honors in three prestigious state and national competitions.

The publication received a rank of superior, having been nominated for the highest award in the National Council of Teachers of English Program to Recognize Excellence in Student Literary Magazines. A total of 425 schools entered their magazines, but only 78 nationally, and four from New York State were nominated for this top award.

The Columbia Scholastic Press Association awarded a silver medalist certificate to “Fragments” at its 2009 competition, where it was judged alongside student literary magazines from all over the country.

At the state level, “Fragments” received an overall Silver Award from the Empire State Scholastic Press Association, as well as a Gold Medal for cover design.

In addition, a number of students earned individual awards. At the Columbia Scholastic Press competition, Alyssa Blumenthal and Sophie Corwin both earned gold certificates in the nonfiction category, while Corwin also walked away with silver and bronze for fiction. Kaitlin Egan was awarded two gold and one silver certificate for her photography.

At the Empire State competition, Corwin earned a gold award for nonfiction, as well as silver and bronze awards for fiction. A nonfiction gold award also went to Blumenthal. A gold award for photography was presented to Egan.

Kali Quinn, a 2009 graduate, also won a gold award for photography, and 2009 graduate Meghan Stanger received honorable mention in the same category. Stanger shared a gold award for cover design with fellow graduate Lena Weiss. Bailey Robertson, also a 2009 graduate, earned a silver award for nonfiction, as well as a silver award and an honorable mention in the poetry category.

Seven students and one teacher also earned awards at the annual Adelphi Poetry Festival and Competition. Going up against hundreds of entries from across Long Island, they received more awards than any other school. Jane Smyth won an Award in Excellence in Citation of Poetry in Translation, a new category created this year because of her entry.

These students edit and write for “Fragments” as part of Long Beach High School’s Talented Writers program, taught by Rachell Koegel. To reserve a copy, contact fragments06@Hotmail.com.