LONDONDERRY — When Amanda Mitchell walked into her English class earlier this month for the semester exam, her classmates stood and applauded her.
Teacher Scott Sicard had posted a message in huge letters across the front of the classroom: "CONGRATULATIONS AMANDA MITCHELL! SOUTHERN NH UNIVERSITY WRITING CONTEST WINNER! She will soon be a published author!"
Amanda, a freshman, won the Southern NH University High School Prose Contest and her story, "Outbreak!" will be published in the spring issue of Aokeag, SNHU's literary journal.
Sicard is not only proud of Amanda's accomplishment, but also of her classmates' response to it.
"It was a touching moment and I was really proud of them for stepping up, unprovoked, and celebrating her and what she had done. I'll never forget that moment," Sicard said. "Days like those are what make teaching worth it. I love being a teacher."
The class had just completes an assignment in scary fiction when Sicard heard about the writing contest. He encouraged all his students to enter, but particularly urged Amanda to submit a story.
"I firmly believe in challenging my students every day in the classroom and constantly try to get them to push outside their comfort zone and grow as individuals," Sicard said. "This was a great opportunity for Amanda to do just that."
Amanda agreed to try, wrote a draft and showed it to her teacher.
"I remember the first time I read her story. I was captivated by it. It was a great story," Sicard said. "I gave her some suggestions to make it stronger. I also remember writing, 'Many students think that they are a good writer. You ARE a good writer!' on the top of her story."
Amanda and Sicard worked together to tweak her entry and she submit6ted it.
Fast forward to Jan. 14, the New England Patriots have a solid lead over Tim Tebow and the Denver broncos. Sicard is happy on his couch at home when he gets an email from Amanda.
She had just received email notification of her win and was eager to share the news.
With some more editing, cutting and fine-tuning, Amanda's story is ready for publication this spring. She will receive two copies of the journal and $100. She also will be honored at a publication party April 20 at the Manchester campus.
Remember her name because Sicard is sure she has more to contribute.
"Amanda is not only a great student, but she is a fantastic person. She is genuine, down to Earth, and cares about the people around her," Sicard said. "She really works hard at everything she has done for me in English this year, and she consistently does good work."
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