Winning writers

A story by Thomas Cleary, a senior at Cheney High School, has been judged the best of 196 entries to win The Spokesman-Review’s 2008 Outdoor Writing Contest for high school students.

In “Life’s a Beach,” Cleary reminds us that while hormones may drive their first impulses on life’s issues, teenage boys are capable of thinking on other levels.

Contest runners-up include:

•“Bitter-Sweet Evening,” a taste of a hot family campfire competition by Sarah Mewhinney, senior from Cheney.

•“Sheltered Child,” details the cold reality of a family caught in a storm, by Tyler Olson, senior from Cheney.

•“Rock ‘n’ Roll No-No,” which explores the gravity of thoughtless mountain behavior, by Patrick Quigley, senior from Lewis and Clark High School.

Cleary will receive $75 for first place. Each of the runners-up will get $50. The four finalists will be entered in the Outdoor Writers Association of America National Scholastic Writing Contest, which is open to any outdoor writing published in 2008 by junior high or high school students.

National winners, who can earn up to $200, will be announced next spring. In 22 years, 37 finalists from The Spokesman-Review contest have gone on to win national awards.

This year’s entries were judged by newspaper Outdoors editor Rich Landers. The winning entries once again have been illustrated on this page by Spokane Valley artist Dale Hamilton, a graduate of Central Valley High School.

Other students who made the final round of judging this year include: Carson Sharrai, Reid Dorland and Alicia Freeman of Lakeland High School in Rathdrum; Katie Barsotti and Ashley Pickert of Gonzaga Prep; Tanner Bennett of Cheney; Justin Wilson of Republic; Sierra Abele of Central Valley; Mary Traver, Lianne Walker, Elizabeth Webster, Evan Tremaine, Dragana Milovanovic, Sarah Kliewer and Zach Wymore of Lewis and Clark.

The newspaper contest is announced in the fall.