Celebrating Young Authors in Penn-Delco

The Nicholas A. Spennato Young Authors’ Writing Project marked its 47th year with a special awards ceremony at Northley Middle School on May 14.

More than 600 submissions were entered by students in grades 1-8 from public and nonpublic schools across Delaware County - and 102 winning entries were selected. We’re proud to share that 28 of those winners are Penn-Delco students!

Aston Elementary School

• Elizabeth Nguyen, Grade 3 - A Mysterious Forest

Coebourn Elementary School

• Brianna Lightcap, Grade 1 - If I Were a Crayon
• Abigail Lightcap, Grade 2 - I Believe
• Frankie Ottaviano, Grade 2 - Gerald's Birthday Party
• Mathias Zapata, Grade 2 - Coming From Colombia Part Two
• Saif Ayadi, Grade 3 - The Aquarium
• Charlotte Gallagher, Grade 4 - Why a Sports Complex Would Be Good for Brookhaven
• Kenadee Mengel, Grade 4 - The Big Game

Parkside Elementary School

• Quincy Bello, Grade 1 - My Special Trip to Africa
• Finn Thomas, Grade 1 - My Trip to Florida
• Natalie Tillman, Grade 1 - The Potion
• Jackson Plunkett, Grade 3 - How to Be a Good Friend
• Evan Gille, Grade 4 - Why I Think a Library Would Benefit Our Community
• Olivia Adams, Grade 5 - Galactaphobia
• Charlotte Cantwell, Grade 5 - Life Living on the Prairie
• Maria Cortes Avalos, Grade 5 - My First Day in the United States

Pennell Elementary School

• Roman Sciulli, Grade 1 - Snakeheads
• Dawkin Cooper, Grade 2 - Best Class Pet

Northley Middle School

• Callie Hazlett, Grade 6 - The Window is My Throne
• Grayson Natale, Grade 6 - Summer Day
• Naomi Plunkett, Grade 6 - Meteor Shower
• Isaiah Williams, Grade 6 - Decayed
• Andrey Bucalov, Grade 7 - Two Nights, Three Days Late
• Evelyn Curley, Grade 7 - Out of Service
• Dylan Pothier, Grade 7 - AI, The Future, or the End?
• Saia Collazo, Grade 8 - The Snowman
• Carlyn Singleton, Grade 8 - Missing
• Lucy Smitheman, Grade 8 - The Lost Treasure

Sponsored by the Keystone State Literacy Association: Delaware County, the project honors creativity, storytelling, and a lifelong love of writing. This year’s guest speaker was Nancy Braitman, author of the Milo Loves... series.

Congratulations to our outstanding young writers - and thank you to the families and teachers who helped support their success!