Annual writing contest brings out students creativity

By Hector Cervantes, Reporter

Writers can be festive and show their creativity as the library and the English department team up and host their annual Dare to Scare competition.

Students can submit a Halloween story of 500 words or less. Stories must be submitted to an English teacher or to library media specialist Donna Leahy by Oct. 17. There are two categories that stories can be submitted under: Dare to Scare a third grader or Dare to Scare a peer.

“We had a few teachers who assigned Dare to Scare as a writing project for extra credit so we had 90 entries last year,” Leahy said.

Finalists in the Dare to Scare competition get to read their story to the third graders of Gary and Pioneer elementary schools on Oct. 27.

“We selected eight people to read their stories to our third graders last year, this year I’m hoping for 10 stories to share with our visitors,” Leahy said.

Additionally, two winners will be selected for each category. The winners will receive a $25 gift card to Barnes and Noble or another retailer of their choice.

“In the past, stories have been about a variety of haunted houses, monsters and trick-or-treating for stories in the Dare to Scare a third grader category. Dare to Scare a peer gets a little darker with more chilling stories,” Leahy said.

The librarians and English division head Mary Howard will judge the stories.

“We are looking for a Halloween story that will capture a third graders imagination. But the main idea is for students to create stories for a future generation of students,”  Leahy said.