Do the 'Write' Thing 2019

A collage showing student nominees for Do the Write Thing, their parents and families, and school employees and officials.

By Tim Reaves
BCS Communications Department

Middle schoolers experienced the power of the written word during Tuesday’s Do the Write Thing Essay Contest awards ceremony.

The fourth annual awards banquet honored 12 students from Buncombe County Schools (BCS) and Asheville City Schools (ACS) who examined the causes and effects of youth violence and wrote essays and poems about solutions.

“The one impression I consistently have at each event is how courageous each of the student writers are to express their personal reflections on how violence has impacted them in some manner,” said BCS Superintendent Dr. Tony Baldwin. “As an educator I am so proud of the research and writing skills they exhibit to communicate their thoughts!"

Out hundreds of local entries, judges picked two students – one from ACS and one from BCS – to be honored as a National Ambassadors. Sadie Koch Miller, a sixth-grader at A.C. Reynolds Middle School (ACRMS), and Reginald Redfern, an eighth-grader at Asheville Middle School, will travel with a parent and teacher on an all-expenses-paid trip to Washington, D.C. to interact with dignitaries and have their writings published in the Library of Congress.

“I feel excited,” Sadie said after learning she will be a National Ambassador. “I want to share with everyone that we need to stop violence.”

Having lived in Connecticut before moving to Buncombe County, Sadie wrote about the Sandy Hook tragedy in her poem “The Ones Filled With Sorrow.”

“I just took it and explained what happened and how it made me feel,” she said.

Her family, teachers, and community are all proud.

“Sadie is an amazing young lady,” said Ms. Melinda Bolinger, the ACRMS English Language Arts teacher who nominated Sadie. “She’s quiet and shy in class, so to have this voice come out of her was amazing.”

The other 10 nominees were:
BCS
-- Hallie Reed, ACRMS, sixth grade
-- Hayden Diltz, Enka Middle School, seventh grade
-- Ashley Craig, Enka Middle School, seventh grade
-- Kiefer Adams, Valley Springs Middle School, eighth grade
-- Makayla Clement, Valley Springs Middle School, eighth grade
ACS
-- Liam Milner, Asheville Middle School, sixth grade
-- Marlise Pedisich, Asheville Middle School, eighth grade
-- Addison Cain, Asheville Middle School, sixth grade
-- Isaac Fertel, Montford North Star Academy, seventh grade
-- Mishonte Mills, Montford North Star Academy, seventh grade

Their entries describe the ways in which violence affects their lives.

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Thanks to the Do the Write Thing Committee members, the Buncombe County Schools Foundation, the Asheville City Schools Foundation, Asheville Police Department, Buncombe County Sheriff's Office, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of North Carolina, Buncombe County Sheriff’s Office, Asheville Police Department, Asheville Housing Authority, My Daddy Taught Me That, SPARC Foundation, and the Omni Grove Park Inn.

Do the Write Thing is an initiative of the National Campaign to Stop Violence.

BCS believes that our Compassionate Schools model goes a long way toward supporting the social and emotional health of our students. Compassionate Schools benefit all students who attend but focus on students chronically exposed to stress and trauma in their lives. These schools create compassionate classrooms and foster compassionate attitudes of their school staff. The goal is to keep students engaged and learning by creating and supporting a healthy climate and culture within the school where all students can learn.

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