Dennis M. Kenney Middle School students were recently honored for their creative writing skills at the Echoes Creative Writing Competition. Developed by the REV Theatre Company, this year-long project culminated in DMK students being honored at the Echoes Award ceremony for their creative scripts and showcases.

Back in the fall, students took part in a 40-minute creative writing workshop, where they learned the criteria used in selecting submissions for the performance. This past winter, students submitted their 50-minute showcase to the REV Theatre Company, which was then extensively evaluated by the REV Theatre Company creative team to determine the best authors from each school.

Kai Turaj earned the nod as the “Showcased Author” for a piece titled “Rat Army Cloner.” Honorable mention awards were presented to Kendra Farr, Haley Barry, Lily Gibson, Natylie Short, Ella Woolworth, Emileigh Walts, Scarlett Lindsley, Lyric Bonnie, Destany Bryan, Kendall Tassone, Austin Pawlenko, Arianna Heaney, Harmony VanTassell, Annabelle Ballou, Alexis Clark, Alice Thompson and Elaina Sinko.

“Students explored different creative writing formats and identified which formats transferred best on stage,” said DMK music teacher Jeff Sawyer. “They then practiced adapting creative writing pieces to various formats. The growth they’ve shown with creative writing during this year-long project is truly amazing; they are amazing!”