CAMPBELL — Three students from the Northeast Ohio IMPACT Academy participated in the regional tournament of Power of the Pen at Malone University on March 7.

They are Charley Masters, eighth grade; Claudia Sophia DeRhodes, seventh grade; and Aryana Torruella, seventh grade.

The eighth grade had 88 participants while the seventh grade had 73 participants. Charley finished 50th in the eighth grade division, while Claudia finished 28th and Aryana finished 14th in the seventh grade division and both qualified for the state competition.

Power of the Pen is a leading interscholastic program in written expression. Originally designed for writers at the seventh- and eighth-grade levels, Power of the Pen delivers interscholastic tournament competitions for young writers throughout Ohio. It also provides teachers with an educational network that shares ideas and instructional materials to improve expressive writing skills.

“I was very surprised when I found out I had made it to state. I thought that I wouldn’t have made it since I wasn’t very confident in my stories but the judges obviously saw something in them to let me make it to state,” Aryana said.

She continued: “I’m disappointed that I won’t be able to go to state this year, but I’m still very proud of myself and will work harder to get better at my writing and try to get a higher ranking next year.”

Claudia added, “What it means to me is not that it assures me I’m good enough, but that it means that I have enough skill to get better because sometimes when some people achieve something they stop, saying that their already good enough, but to me it means that I have a starting platform and with a lot of practice and hard work, I can get better.”

Due to concerns about the novel coronavirus, the 2020 state tournament will not be held. The cancellation of the state tournament is disappointing for writers who have been preparing all season.

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