Local students win national honors

Entries by three finalists from The Spokesman-Review 2005 Youth Outdoor Writing Contest advanced to win national awards.

Jenny Knezovich, who entered her poem “Sledding,” last year as a junior from Reardan High School, won first place in the senior poetry division of the Outdoor Writers Association of America 2005 Youth Writing Contest.

Jacqueline Robinette, who entered “Canyon Swing” as a freshman from Cheney High School, won third place.

Casey Thomas, who entered “To Be a Thomas” as a freshman from Post Falls High School, won first place in the national senior prose category.

Thomas also was the grand prize winner in the Spokesman-Review’s contest. Her story used vivid imagery to put readers in the shoes of a youngster experiencing her first timid steps off the sidelines of a family hunting tradition.

The winning work of the three local writers was first published in The Spokesman-Review on Dec. 25 before being forwarded to the national competition. National winners were announced in June during the OWAA conference in Lake Charles, La.