A student at Edgecomb's Center for Teaching and Learning (CTL) has been recognized at the national level for her writing. Octavia Aurora's poem, "My Oak Tree" was awarded a gold medal by the Alliance for Young Artists and Writers, a nonprofit organization that presents Scholastic Art and Writing Awards annually.

More than 100,000 students entered nearly 340,000 original works of art and writing to the 2024 Scholastic Awards. Octavia's work was selected by some of the foremost leaders in the visual and literary arts for excellence in originality, skill, and the emergence of a personal voice or vision. Fewer than 2,500 works received a National Medal, which places Octavia within the top 8% of all submissions!

Since 1923, the Awards have celebrated teen artists and writers from across the country. Octavia is now part of that legacy, joining the ranks of notable alumni, including Tschabalala Self, Stephen King, Kay WalkingStick, Charles White, Joyce Carol Oates, and Andy Warhol—all of whom won Scholastic Awards when they were teens. 

Octavia's poem will be published in Scholastic's Online Galleries at artandwriting.org.

For more information about CTL's writing program, or for general inquiries about the school, visit www.c-t-l.org or follow the school on Facebook at www.facebook.com/CTLKto8.