Five of the 13 Young Georgia Authors competition regional winners captured top honors in the West Georgia RESA district, which includes public schools in Carroll, Coweta, Harris, Heard, Meriwether and Troup counties.

Carrollton Elementary School kindergartner Thomas Hume won the top region award with his short story, “The World Needs Love.” Carrollton Middle School student Ryann Young’s “The Tragedy” earned first place in the sixth grade category.

Three Carrollton High School students, sophomore Emma Camp, junior Sahithi Pandi, and senior Bethany Blackman, placed first for their works, “Alma,” “There Are Infinite Possibilities in the World,” and “The Stars Beyond Us,’ respectively.  

“We are extremely proud of these students,” said Anna Clifton, assistant superintendent of Teaching and Learning. “This is a testament to not only their individual talents and abilities, but also to the teachers who have nurtured them. We feel strongly that our district focus on literacy, including writing, is making a difference. Their performance further demonstrates this fact.”

The Young Georgia Authors competition has been engaging Georgia students for more than two decades and is open to any student currently enrolled in Georgia public schools, grades K-12. The competition is sponsored by the Georgia Council of Teachers of English (GCTE) with support from the Georgia Department of Education.