Two Ridgely Middle School Students Honored in Countywide Writing Contest

Middle school isn't known to be a time for dark introspection and thrilling flights of fancy. But more might be going on in those developing minds than we'd ever think.

William Linker, an eighth-grader from , and Sara Glasser, a seventh-grader also from Ridgely, both delved into the deepest parts of their minds, put pen to paper, and won honors at the Baltimore County Middle School Writing Contest.

The contest, in its 14th year, is sponsored and judged by the senior literary arts students at , under the guidance of department chair Jay Imbrenda.

The middle schoolers received their awards this past Tuesday.

William won honorable mention in the poetry category for his poem called “LIVE!” He wrote it as an extra-credit assignment for his language arts teacher, Brenda Hayasaka.

“It’s about life,” said William, “and how you have to not be monotonous, and set your own path. I don’t like when people are monotonous and boring, and if you don’t take any chances you won’t have fun in life.”

Amy Landsman, William’s mom, said, “I was so impressed, not only with William and all the other winners, but also with the Carver students who judged all the kids’ work and ran the awards ceremony. Everybody did such a great job. It was really, really nice.”

Sara wrote a short story called “The Cell,” which won second place in the fiction category. It’s a formidable eight pages long.

“It’s about how people see each other,” said Sara. “It’s about this girl who is stuck in a cell with some sort of creature. At first she thinks he’s hideous, and he smells and whatnot. But after she’s stuck in a cell for a long time with him, she realizes he has feelings too. He may not be exactly like her, but he’s worth caring for. They get to be okay with each other. They go from being enemies to friends.”

A girl stuck in a cell with a beast is dark subject matter. But the redeeming ending speaks of a young writer who’s holding out hope for humanity’s future.

“Sara’s usually a positive person, but she apparently has a dark side,” joked her mom, Janelle Glasser.

Here’s an excerpt from Sara’s story:

You are weeping in the same corner. You have not moved in the last day for fear of losing what little sanity you have left. The corner is your domain—your only space in the small cell. It is the only thing you own and the only thing you ever will know. Beyond your corner is the wild. Beyond your corner is Beast’s territory … You know what Beast is. Beast is a revolting, disgusting creature. Something deep inside you whispers words of warning to stay away from it. The fear that you would become the same as Beast, rotten and wasted, terrifies you. Thoughts of Beast aside, you continue to sob.

Sara wrote her story on her own time, as part of a writing club that she and her friends established. They meet at each other’s houses every Friday. Her friends voted Sara’s story as the best one, and Sara’s language arts teacher, Stephanie Fanshaw, encouraged Sara to enter it in the contest.

“Sara’s been writing since early elementary school,” said Janelle. “I have to kick her out the door to get her to go outside, and then she just goes outside and reads and writes.”

William’s approach to his poem was a bit more shoot-from-the-hip.

“I wrote it in like 10 minutes,” he said.

Maybe he’s being modest, or maybe the words really did flow that quickly. Even if he’s a fast writer, his poem reflects a lifetime of deep feelings.

Here is William’s poem in its entirety.

LIVE!

Birth.
Reproduce.
Death.

All we are made for in
three simple words.

But what if we make our own path?
when we take the wheel of life from god and pull off the road?
When we knock on Death's door and say "Are we too late for the party?"

When we let our hair fly back
And let the bugs fly in our teeth
and leave God to hitch hike
His way back to heaven.

When we don't keep our
arms and legs inside the vehicle
at all times.

When we kiss our secret love in slow motion
and you know it could last forever.

When for once
we do the things
we've always wanted to.
When we bungee jump off a cliff.
When we ride a motorcycle over a pit of flames.

When we trash Death's house
wearing a lamp shade on your head and yelling "TOGA! TOGA!"

That is when we Live.
When we Love.

So it's time we make a rebellion
a coup to the Heavens
and after the last battle is won
Proudly broadcast
across Heaven and Earth
to all with ears
I WILL LIVE!

Congratulations to William and Sara, and to the other eight Baltimore County Public School students in other districts whose work was recognized.

Keep writing!