Teen Scene’s 4th annual Awards Banquet was held on April 20th at Blossoms Event Center at Magnolia Greens. The theme of the night was “Stars Over Cape Fear.”
Teen Scene is an outlet for students to express themselves. Finding Teen Scene is the equivalent of teens finding their voice. Students who submit their writing don’t go unnoticed; instead, they receive an award ceremony.
Following the amazing dinner served by the staff of Blossoms Restaurant, Dan Neizmik presented the award for Non-Fiction, sponsored by Fuzzy Peach. The winner was Brunswick County Early College High School Junior Emmy Russ for “Post Holiday Blues: The Least Wonderful Time Of The Year.”
Next was the presentation for Creative Fiction, sponsored by the Cape Fear Literacy Council and presented by Pat Batleman. Darius Stevenson, a BC ECHS Sophomore, was the winner for his story, “A Beautiful World.”
The winner in the category of Persuasive Essay was sponsored and presented by Teen Scene Board Member and Leland Town Councilman Bill McHugh. The winner was Eila Adair, a Sophomore at Wilmington Honours Guild, for her story, “Shop Fair Trade this Holiday Season.”
Maryann Nunnally, a retired educator, presented two special recognitions in the category of Middle School Poetry, sponsored by Mimi and Papa’s Gourmet Popcorn and Homemade Ice Cream. The winners were Isabella Billings from Leland Middle School and Kaleigh Bennett from Cedar Grove Middle School.
Our presenting sponsor, Brunswick County Arts Council, represented by President Sydnee Moore, presented the awards for High School Poetry and Art. For Poetry, the winner was a tie between two BC ECHS Juniors, Samantha Becker and Karleigh Quinn. For art, the winner was Karleigh Karnes, a Senior (recent graduate) of South Brunswick High School.
Carl Parker, President of the Brunswick County Chapter of NAACP, presented the final teen award of the evening. Annually, Mr. Parker recognizes the efforts of educators. This year, we recognized two amazing students from BC ECHS for their outstanding work on behalf of Teen Scene. Emmy Russ and Kyler Terry were both recognized for their contributions as layout designers for the Teen Scene paper publication and as freelance writers. They were both awarded $500 in recognition of their efforts.
Leland’s Mayor, Brenda Bozeman, had positive things to say about Teen Scene. “I think (Teen Scene) is wonderful. I wish they had that when I was growing up and when my children were growing up. I think it’s wonderful that people take time to work with the teens and help them with their futures.” Said Bozeman. “I’m in awe of the wonderful writings they’ve done. They are just beautiful.”
Bozeman sees the role of literature and the arts as contributing to our community’s growth and development. “I think it’s growing more and more every day. That’s why, here in Leland, we have the Leland Cultural Arts Center, which is why we feel the need for culture here in the area.
Teen Scene Winners
Councilman Bill McHugh added, “The Cape Fear region is increasingly becoming more diverse. We need to acknowledge that diversity.”
Mr. McHugh also commented about the work of Teen Scene saying, “I think it’s great to reward and recognize young writers who are starting their careers in journalism because, as a journalist myself, I think it’s an admirable career to take. You are standing up for the rights of others and spotlighting the truth with stories we need to know about.”
Ms. Absher, Principal of BC ECHS was the featured speaker for the event. She commented regarding the Teen Scene program: “I think it’s just an amazing opportunity to connect our students with writing, with the community, with finding their voice, with honing their skills. I am so proud of the work of our students in this program. It takes courage to do this stuff and put yourself out there.”
Thanks to Gerald Decker, Founder of Teen Scene, Jan Morgan-Swegle, and Nancy Bryans for making this event possible. We also want to thank Mayor Brenda Bozeman, Councilman Bill McHugh, Carl Parker, Sydnee Moore, Jan Lydon (First Bank), Deb Pickett (Signature Wealth Strategies, and Paul Inferrera (DrawFire, LLC) for all of their support. Congratulations and thanks to each of our Teen Scene writers, volunteers, and contributors.
All of this is made possible by the generous donations of our Teen Scene sponsors and by the committed teachers and students. Thanks to Laura Askue (ECHS Journalism), Kathrine Deitzen (Heide Trask High Journalism), Katherine Pender (Leland Middle) and Meridith Zell (Cedar Grove Middle), Samantha Carradori (Burgaw Middle) and Gina Good (Wilmington Honours Guild. With your support, we are “Tomorrow’s Voices Today.”
