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Two local entrants in the annual writing contest sponsored by the Lexington Woman’s Club went on to win first place prizes at the state and national levels for the General Federation of Women’s Clubs (GFWC) overall competition.
Levi Snyder, a first grade student at Rockbridge Christian Academy, won first place in the GFWC Virginia contest for his story entitled “Bear Memories.”
Caitlin “Caitie” Carrington, a junior at Rockbridge County High School, won first place in the GFWC national contest for her entry entitled “Specchio” (Italian for ‘mirror).
Caitie has always been an avid reader and artist, said a club spokeswoman. She hopes to study writing and film studies in college. She has played lacrosse for Rockbridge County High School and is a member of Project Connection, a local teenrun nonprofit organization that promotes relationships and acceptance between teens with differing abilities. Her latest challenge is to learn to read Chinese so she can read the full text of the classic Chinese novel “Dream of the Red Chamber.”
There were more than 75 entrants in the contest, which is sponsored by the Lexington Woman’s Club each year. All entries were judged on the “Six Traits of Writing Principles” by at least two judges.
All first-place winners’ entries were sent on to the GFWC Virginia district contest and then district winners went on to the GFWC Virginia state contest. There were six district winners and five state winners from the Lexington contest. Caitlin Carrington’s national award was the first time a Virginia state winner has won nationally.
Other state winners were Ezra Renalds, Rockbridge Christian Academy; Kamren Berkstresser, Rockbridge Christian Academy; Melody Coddington, Waddell Elementary; and Becca Hanson, Buena Vista Public Schools.
The deadline for entries for the 2023 contest is Dec. 15. Entries can be dropped off at a box on the counter of the Rockbridge Regional Library in Lexington.
