Birchwood Students Place High at Power of the Pen District Tournament
Twelve seventh and eighth grade Birchwood School of Hawken students flexed their creative expression at the recent Power of the Pen Northeast District 2 Tournament held Jan. 21 at Ashland Middle School.
Under the direction of language arts teachers Lorraine Tzeng, Jennifer Seward and Allison Noga, Birchwood students placed high in both the individual and team components.
Birchwood’s seventh grade and eighth grade teams each took second place overall. Individual eight grade qualifier Ayat Jaffar placed fourth. Individual seventh grade qualifiers are: Saanvi Chari, third place; and Rhea Kumar, sixth place.
Birchwood’s seventh grade and eighth grade teams each took second place overall. Individual eight grade qualifier Ayat Jaffar placed fourth. Individual seventh grade qualifiers are: Saanvi Chari, third place; and Rhea Kumar, sixth place.
Birchwood’s winning teams and individuals have all qualified to participate at the Northeast Regional Tournament to be held Saturday, Feb. 25, at Kent State University.
Eighteen schools competed in this year’s Power of the Pen District 2 Tournament, an Ohio interscholastic writing competition where school representatives in teams of six demonstrate their imagination and writing skills. This is the 38th year that students of Ohio have had the opportunity to write impromptu creative narratives and advance from the district through the regional and state levels, individually or as a team.
Established in 1986, Power of the Pen has grown to become one of Ohio's largest educational enhancement programs. Middle school students throughout Ohio will benefit from Power of the Pen instructional methodologies this year, including nearly 3,000 who will compete in formal Power of the Pen interscholastic writing tournaments.
