Eagle student writes from the heart, earns
national honor
Fourth-grader Alexi Hull honored at Nov. 2 BOE meeting
Fourth grader Alexi Hull has managed to use her
writing skill to turn tragedy into triumph.
The Eagle student was recently recognized by the
Bethlehem Central School District Board of Education for winning a
national writing contest sponsored by the General Federation of
Women's Clubs, but the journey started in her third grade classroom.
Last year, Diane McNiven, a Grade 3 teacher at
Eagle, entered some of her students’ writing pieces in a contest
sponsored by the Delmar Progress Writing Club, an affiliate of the
National General Federation
of Women's Clubs.
When she recently found out that Alexi’s piece
had won at the national level, she wasn’t all that surprised.
“I use the Writing Contest as a motivator and a
way to showcase exceptional work,” said McNiven.
“Alexi is a girl who voraciously documents what is in her
heart and her life,” she said. “She embraces the idea that words
matter.”
Alexi’s story, “The Awful Six Words,” is an
honest and heartfelt recounting of the time her pet cat, Sammy, had
to be put to sleep, and of all the questions and emotion that a
young person experiences when a beloved pet passes away.
“I cried when I read it,” said Board of
Education President Diane Giacone-Stever at the Nov. 2 meeting, just
before Delmar Progress Club President Pat Antanucci presented Alexi
with a certificate.
After the presentation, Alexi read her story to
those in attendance. She and her mother said they were both “very
excited”
You can read Alexi’s story, “The Awful Six
Words,”
here [PDF]