The Creative Writing Club at Newcastle High School has just published the first annual edition of its anthology — a collection of original works created entirely by its members. Led by Allison Hill and Jolee Nix, students contributed poetry, short stories, novel excerpts, and songs, thoughtfully curating and organizing their pieces into a beautifully printed volume. English Teacher and club sponsor, Andrea Thomas, said the school system is incredibly proud of their creativity, dedication, and willingness to take on such an ambitious project. The Creative Writing Club meets weekly to write and share work, giving feedback and offering support to each other. Thomas said students in the club are also working on novels, and several of the young poets have been published in other anthologies. The club currently has about 30 members, and they do poetry readings and have an annual poetry family night. To find inspiration, they take a yearly field trip to an art museum, and then write about art pieces that inspired them. Club members pictured, front, l to r, are: Allison Hill, Jolee Nix, Sophia Tran, Brianna Everhart, and Gayla Ihegboro; (middle) Kailynn Howsley, Katelynne Tevis, Addison Grizzle, Katelynn Rose, Ava Ray, and Saniyah Logan; and (back) Allie Bartel, Brayden Biggerstaff, Timothy Coleman, Cooper Shelton, and Jamie Calvert. Not pictured are Adelyn Baker and Skylar Williamson.
