The Hart County Charter System is thrilled to announce that not only one, but two, Hart County students have been selected as finalists in this year’s statewide Young Georgia Authors competition.

Having already won the school and regional competitions in their respective grades, Hart County Middle School 7th-grade student Katherine “Katie” Ripley and Hart County High School 10th-grade student Trinati Pinkston have both been named statewide winners of the annual Young Georgia Authors competition. Each year, one winner is selected for each K-12 grade level.

Representing the Pioneer RESA region, Katie and Trinati beat out students from schools of all sizes across the state.

Trinati’s contest submission, titled “I Choose Her”, is a personal look at what it’s like to be biracial.

“It is awesome to have a regional winner, but to add a state-level winner to it as well is amazing,” Hart County High School Principal Kevin Gaines said. “Triniti is a great student and a great representation of HCHS.”

Katie’s submission was a science fiction piece titled “The Experiment”. It is about a girl who’s mom is a research director and the girl then goes to the lab where she works.

“Katie is a well-rounded student who always strives to do exceptional work.  Katie’s award is the result of hard work and fearless spirit,” Hart County Middle School Principal Jacqueline Brock said.

The purpose of the Young Georgia Authors (YGA) writing competition is to encourage students to develop enthusiasm for and expertise in their writing, to provide a context to celebrate their writing successes, and to recognize student achievement in arts and academics.

This prestigious competition has been engaging Georgia students for more than two decades and is open to any student currently enrolled in Georgia public schools, grades K -12. The competition is sponsored by the Georgia Language Arts Supervisors (GLAS) and the Georgia RESA Network with support from the Georgia Department of Education.