WKU News

The Scholastic Art & Writing Awards competition has recognized three Gatton Academy students for their poetry and fiction entries.

McKee second-year student Rhiannon Connor (Berea Community High School) received a Silver Key award for her Critical Essay, “Prestige in Higher Education and Its Effects on Students” and a Silver Key for her Writing Portfolio. She received Honorable Mentions for her Critical Essays “Love in Wuthering Heights” and “Veganism: A Lifestyle through the Lens of Activism and Identity.”

Hopkinsville first-year student Deeya Patel (University Heights Academy) received Silver Key awards for her poetry, “Ephemeral Beauty,” “Stellar,” “This Place,” and “Vernal,” and an Honorable Mention for her poem “Supernova.”

Central City first-year student Evan “Van” Poole (Muhlenberg County High School) received an Honorable Mention for his Flash Fiction piece “Mirrors.”

“While students at The Gatton Academy are selected for admission based on their interests and abilities in science, technology, engineering and mathematics, many of our students are passionate about the arts and humanities, as well,” said Dr. Lynette Breedlove, Director of The Gatton Academy.  “It is very exciting for these students to be recognized for their creative writing. Each of these three students has a unique perspective on our world and their experience, and they contribute in important ways to our community.”

Since 1923, the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards have recognized the vision, ingenuity, and talent of our nation’s youth and provided opportunities for creative teens to be celebrated. Each year, increasing numbers of teens participate in the program and become a part of our community—young artists and writers, filmmakers and photographers, poets and sculptors, video game artists and science fiction writers, along with countless educators who support and encourage the creative process.

About The Gatton Academy: Established in 2007, The Gatton Academy is Kentucky’s first residential high school for gifted and talented junior and seniors. The Gatton Academy’s students enroll as juniors and are full-time WKU students pursuing their interests in advanced science, technology, engineering and mathematical careers. The Gatton Academy has been named to The Washington Post’s list of top-performing schools with elite students for eight consecutive years and was named the number one public high school in the United States by The Daily Beast for three consecutive years – 2012, 2013 and 2014.