Darrell Allman (Lima Central Catholic) Darrell is on the varsity tennis team, the Quiz Bowl team, and the J.E.T.S team at Lima Central Catholic. He enjoys engineering sciences and writing fictional stories. He thought of his story, “Transatlantic,” while on a cruise ship last winter. He plans to go to the United States Air Force Academy and major in aeronautical engineering.

Paige Apkarian (Shawnee) Paige runs varsity cross country and track and also dances competitively. She loves art and photography, and hopes to study those subjects in college. The surrounding environment is inspiration for her works. 

Jessica Armstrong (Lima Central Catholic) Jessica plays junior varsity golf, basketball, and track. She also enjoys music. She hopes to attend a large college outside of Ohio in three years and major in medicine or law. Her story, “Capitol Robbery,” was inspired by a dream.

Mitchell Art (Lima Central Catholic) Mitchell participates in many activities at LCC. He runs track and cross country, and bowls in the winter. He hopes to go to state in cross country, but knows he has to improve in order to do so.

Megan Azzarello (Shawnee) Megan plans on attending college and majoring in Optometry.

Harleigh Bellman (Bath) Harleigh writes stories for fun and hopes to be published in the future. She would like to get a job in a pharmacy one day so that she can provide for her family.

Greg Bennett (Elida) Greg is in band and enjoys all kinds of music. He plans to attend either Bluffton University or Cedarville University. He was inspired to write his poems by the feelings and concerns he had at the time.

Justin Berelsman (Bath) Justin works at McDonalds and likes to listen to music, play videogames, write computer programs, and hang out with friends. After graduating, he plans to attend Stanford University for Pre-Med, Physics, or Psychology. He was inspired to write his poem because of the way he has been treated. He sees himself differently than everyone else wants him to. Expressing these feelings in poems helps Justin better understand himself as a person.

Mackenzie Beverly (Shawnee) Mackenzie has always enjoyed writing and imaginative thinking ever since he picked up his first comic book. He finds inspiration in old Hollywood glamour, art history, and bits and pieces of pop culture. Mackenzie hopes to major in Creative Writing with a minor in Film while attending The Ohio State University next year.

Nicholas Bockey (Delphos St. John's) Nicholas plays on the junior varsity basketball team and also runs track. After his senior year in high school, he would like to attend The Ohio State University. He was inspired to write his poem because he feels strongly about the topic.

Cheyanne Bonifas (Delphos St. John's) Cheyanne loves to dance and has been taking classes for almost thirteen years. She is also in 4-H and is interested in photography. She plans on attending a four-year university, but is not sure where just yet. She was inspired to write her poems because of an event in her life.

Alexa Brown (Spencerville) Alexa runs for the varsity cross country and track teams. She also enjoys singing. She will attend IPFW to run on their cross country, indoor track, and outdoor track teams. Alexa hopes to major in Communications while there. She was inspired to write her poems because of the people around her.

Alicia Buettner (Delphos St. John's) Alicia enjoys playing volleyball and running track. She hopes to pursue something she enjoys in college. Summer was the inspiration for her poem.

Madison Burgei (Delphos St. John's) Madison runs track and will participate in her first year of soccer in the near future. She also enjoys reading good novels. She is currently a sophomore at Delphos St. John’s High School and hopes to study medicine in college. Madison’s love of the beach and competition running inspired her poems.

Madison Cohorn (Shawnee) Madison runs cross country, track, and also swims. Even though she participates in sports all year, she still makes time to take pictures, draw, and paint. She loves art and plans to go to college for it.

Taylor Cox (Bath) Taylor plays on the football team and enjoys reading and writing free verse poetry. He hopes to attend Ohio Northern University in two years and major in Mechanical Engineering. He was inspired to write his poem by watching the world news and witnessing the various crises both and home and abroad.

Joey Cunningham (Lima Central Catholic) Joey plays soccer year-round. He also enjoys playing videogames, listening to music, and being with friends. He is planning to go to college, and may major in Engineering. Joey has a pretty vivid imagination and loves sci-fi and fantasy stories, which led him to write his story.

Kyla Dawson (Bluffton) Kyla’s hobbies include “Pinteresting,” taking photos, being in drama club, and life guarding. She hopes to go to college for Graphic Design. She was inspired to create her pictures from the idea of mixing different worlds and time periods.

Julia Dickman (Delphos St. John's) Julia is a senior at Delphos St. John’s High School. She was a Field Commander for marching band this year and is a member of the varsity basketball cheerleading squad. She is also very active in the Van Wert Country 4-H and enjoys designing outfits and writing. Julia hopes to attend college and to someday take a mission trip to help those in need. She was inspired to write her poetry by listening to music without words and putting feelings with the music. 

Maria Dominguez (Lima Central Catholic) Maria was on the swim team and will soon participate in track. Most of her inspiration for writing her fictional story came from music.

Brady Estes (Shawnee) Brady plays varsity football at Shawnee High School. He also loves art. Brady is not sure what his future holds at this moment.

Alyssa Fetzer (Delphos Jefferson) Alyssa is in the Delphos Jefferson show choir. She loves to sing and dance in her free time, but her passion is writing. She has been writing stories since she was in second grade and loves it. Alyssa hopes to become a successful author and to support her daughter in the best way she can. She was inspired to write her short story, “Poor Baby,” when she learned about her friend’s brother’s life and the hardships he went through.

Alyssa Gable (Delphos St. John's) Alyssa plays on the varsity soccer team, participates in the concert, marching, and pep bands.  She is also a member of 4-H and the Allen County Junior Fair Board. She enjoys writing poetry and taking photos. She plans to attend a four-year college. Alyssa is inspired by her surroundings and everyday events.

Emilia Heider (Lima Central Catholic) Emilia is currently a freshman at Lima Central Catholic and is the fifth of eight children. Her father instilled in her a love for reading, which she is very thankful for; she could read all day long. She loves to bake and cook, and in her future, she would love to do something including both of those hobbies. She ran cross country in the fall. Emilia was inspired to write her poem by experiences that have changed her and since left a heavy impression upon her. She loves watching old classics, such as The Thin Man series, To Catch a Thief, and The Philadelphia Story. She loves the 1920s, 30s, 40s, and 50s, and aspires to have all the elegance, class, and poise that women had back then. She loves her God with all her heart, mind, and soul, and tries to spend every minute of every day glorifying Him who gives her each day.

Brooke Heinze (Bluffton) Brooke is a junior at Bluffton High School and enjoys art projects for her class and doing them on her own. She enjoys creating art that is “a little outside of the box.” Her drawing, “Kylee,” was inspired by Alexa Meade, an artist who uses people and things as her canvases. She is interested in going to college for Entertainment Design or Art Education.

Stephanie Honigford (Delphos St. John's) Stephanie plays in the marching band, cheers for football, and runs track and field. She hopes to attend Findlay University for Occupational Therapy. She was inspired to write her poem because last spring her family hosted Roma, a German exchange student. Roma became more than just an exchange student; she became Stephanie’s friend. Stephanie and Roma consider one another sisters. Stephanie misses Roma a lot and has been inspired by their long distance relationship.

Sydney Hooks (Lima Central Catholic) Sydney plays on the varsity golf team and has taken dance for eleven years. She hopes to attend Findlay University, The Ohio State University, or Ohio University. She is looking into Radiology or Physical Therapy as her major. Sydney’s nonfiction essay was inspired by a lifelong struggle of hers.

Ashley Hunt (Lima Central Catholic) Ashley is on the varsity soccer team and is a member of the LCC band. She enjoys working with computers as well. She hopes to one day attend UNOH or Rhodes State College to major in graphic design.

Natalie Hunt (Lima Central Catholic) Natalie is in the Lima Central Catholic concert and marching bands. She plans to go to college, and then join the Air Force Reserves as either a mechanic or pilot. Her story was based off a dream she had about a girl with violet eyes who wore all white.

Megan Jelinger (Shawnee) Megan runs track and cross country and enjoys doing anything that involves artistic creativity. She plans on attending the University of Cincinnati and going into the medical field. Her art is inspired by her surroundings. She also tries to put a creative twist on her art.

Anita Kottapalli (Shawnee) Anita dances competitively, is in the Lima Youth Orchestra, and plays on the varsity tennis team. She hopes to attend college and major in Pre-Med. She was inspired to write her work when she was sitting in class thinking about where she would rather be.

Jessica Koverman (Delphos St. John's) Jessica plays soccer, dances, and cheers. In the future she hopes to go to college, but is not sure what she wants to major in. She was thinking about how powerful light’s force is and decided to write her poem based on that.

Alex Krumel (Lima Central Catholic) Alex plays on the junior varsity football and baseball teams. He plays on the freshman team for basketball. He enjoys getting work done quickly and correctly. He hopes to attend the University of Notre Dame or the University of Cincinnati to major in engineering. He was inspired to write his short story because of a friend who was hurt in a car crash. His friend has changed many people’s lives.

Kathryn Kuchefski (Spencerville) Kathryn cheers almost all year long. She runs sprints in varsity track and also long jumps. She participates in extracurricular activities such as Teens for Christ, Student Council, school musicals, National Honor Society, and Students Against Destructive Decisions. Kathryn will be attending Ohio University next year, double majoring in Biology and Spanish, with a concentration in Pre-Med. She loves to write, but for this assignment she had no clue what she wanted to write about, which ultimately became her inspiration.

Lahanna Lehman (Delphos Jefferson) Lahanna, a student at Delphos Jefferson, explains that her work is all she can do to keep herself calm.

Amanda Lucas (Shawnee) Amanda is a varsity cheerleader for football. She is also on the varsity dive team and plans to make the varsity softball team. She hopes to attend either the University of Findlay or The Ohio State University. She would like to major in Art Education. She took her photos as a stress reliever and a way to express herself.

Taylor Lucas (Shawnee) Taylor runs cross country and plays on the varsity softball team for Shawnee High School. She plans to attend an art school for graphic design. She enjoys photography every day and loves to capture the beautiful moments of her life.

Carissa Luginbill (Bluffton) Carissa participates in school clubs and activities and enjoys spending time with her youth group and friends. She spends a lot of her free time doing art. Next year, Carissa plans on attending either Goshen College or Taylor University. Her artwork was inspired by things and people in her life.

Alecia Menke (Delphos Jefferson) Alecia is involved in cheerleading, choir, show choir, and the school musical. She plans to major in Early Child Education at Rhodes State College.

Samantha Meyer (Spencerville) Samantha sings in the choir and plays four different instruments. She also enjoys designing images on the computer. This fall she will attend Bowling Green State University to major in Visual Communications Technology. She was inspired to write her story when she found an interesting fortune on the ground in a parking lot from a fortune cookie. The fortune read, “Be careful of dangerous obstacles in your future.”

Cortney Miller (Spencerville) Cortney plays on her school’s varisty basketball, cross country, and track teams. She also works at a gas station and is involved in many extracurricular activities. Cortney hopes to attend Bowling Green State University and become a registered nurse. Her love of sewing inspired her to write her poem. She realizes that with her busy schedule, it is nice to take time, sit back, relax, and enjoy what she loves to do without stress.

Meghan Naumburg (Bath) Meghan is just another thoughtful student. She plays tennis and also plays the clarinet in Bath’s symphony band. She enjoys most types of art, including drawing and photography. She wants to major in Zoology with a minor in Art. Many things inspire Meghan; it’s hard for her to name specific things, but the list includes friends, family, animals, other art, music, and colors. Nature is one of the biggest inspirations to her.

Lauren Nicholson (Shawnee) Lauren really likes to draw and paint, but also loves science. She hopes to either go into an art or science field in the future. She loves nature and wants to help show its true beauty. She tries to do so by taking pictures.

Lacy Pellegrini (Bath) Lacy enjoys 4-H, reading, writing, and hanging out with friends. She loves writing poetry because it serves as a huge stress reliever. She plans to attend The Ohio State University this fall, but has yet to decide on a major. All of her poems are based on her thoughts and feelings from anything and everything.

Ryan Pitts (Lima Central Catholic) Ryan plays on the varsity football team and enjoys making music. He hopes to attend a nice, well-rounded college and major in computer engineering. He was inspired to write his poem because so many people share the same story.

Adrienne Pohl (Shawnee) Adrienne heartily enjoys writing and tries to make as much time for it as possible in her busy life.

Kyle Pohlman (Delphos St. John's) Kyle plays junior varsity football and enjoys nature. He hopes to attend a nice college and get a nice job. He was inspired to write his poem after watching a beautiful sunrise on a summer morning.

Christopher Radebaugh (Elida) Christopher plays drums, runs, and writes. He hopes to attend The Ohio State University to major in Jazz Studies. He was inspired to write his story through many hours of deep, spontaneous thought.

Cory Rieman (Spencerville) Cory plays on the varsity baseball team and is interested in history and the medical field. He hopes to attend Ohio University in the fall and major in Physical Therapy. He was inspired to write his poems after reading “The Raven,” by Edgar Allen Poe.

Alex Rigg (Lima Central Catholic) Alex runs varsity cross country and track at Lima Central Catholic. He attends St. Gerard Church. Alex was inspired to write his story by history, which is something he enjoys learning about. 

Madison Risser (Shawnee) Madison loves art; photography is the one thing she truly enjoys. She has taken a total of eleven art classes over the last four years. Her goal is to attend the School of Advertising Art after high school.

Caitlin Roberts (Spencerville) Caitlin was a captain on the varsity soccer team and participates in her school’s music program. She became interested in photography through 4-H. She plans to attend The Ohio State University next year to major in Pre-Medicine.

Jonny Rutter (Shawnee) Jonny enjoys playing piano and creating various metal and wood contraptions from scrap materials. He hopes to attend the University of Northwestern Ohio after he graduates. He plans to participate in the ROTC program, while pursuing a degree in Business Management. Jonny was inspired to make his jewelry piece by taking the concept of what he usually does and doing it on a smaller scale. His sculpture was inspired by African art he found online.

Robert Sarno (Lima Central Catholic) Robert is on his school’s varsity swim team and receives superior honors for his academics. He hopes to further his studies in the medical field. He enjoys running, drawing, playing video games, and spending time with his friends and family. He was inspired to write his story because he wanted to go against the traditional ways of writing fictional stories to create something unique.

Myriah Schimpf (Elida) In Myriah’s spare time, she loves to write and play with her little brothers. She plans to attend Bluffton University in the fall to study Psychology. Her poem was inspired by her friends and family.

Joe Seech (Lima Central Catholic) Joe is a seventeen year old student attending Lima Central Catholic. He enjoys playing baseball for his school. He hopes to one day become a computer programmer. Joe’s story was inspired by two things: seeing his dad clean their family fish tank and his love for Chinese food.

Nora Shaheen (Shawnee) Nora plays on the varsity tennis team and recently looked into starting photography. She hopes to attend The Ohio State University at some point in her college career. Her photo was inspired by her love of New York City.

Darian Shaw (Shawnee) Darian is in the Shawnee Art Club and plans to further her education to be a Fine Arts Education professor.

Taylor Shultz (Lima Central Catholic) Taylor plays on the varsity soccer team, and loves to read, draw, and sculpt. She is not exactly sure what she wants to do in her future. She may want her future to involve writing because she enjoys it a lot. She is inspired by different things. Taylor has had some tough times in her life that have led her to express herself through her writing. She has found that after she gets her feelings and fears out on paper, she can deal with them more easily. Her little sister, mom, and close friends have also been great inspirations for her work and life. She is very grateful for them all.

Chelsea Shurelds (Lima Central Catholic) Chelsea runs on the varsity track team and is also on the girls’ varsity bowling team. She enjoys writing poetry, lyrics, singing, and dancing. She is only a junior in high school, but plans on attending Wittenberg University or Calvin College in 2013. Chelsea plans to major in Pharmacy or Pre-Med. She was inspired to write her poem because of experiences she has gone through in her life and how they affect her to this day.

Derek Smith (Shawnee) Derek is a graduating senior at Shawnee High School. He will attend The University of Cincinnati this coming year. He is an athlete and enjoys other activities such as biking and fishing as well as he loves the outdoors.

Zach Somers (Spencerville) Zach plays a few sports for Spencerville, but in his down time, he likes to write poems and express his feelings. “Nature” is one of his poems that he likes the best.

Olivia Stanley (Lima Central Catholic) Olivia plays guitar and enjoys all things music. She is undecided on future plans. Her essay was inspired by her love of music and how it affects her.

Jacob Tabler (Lima Central Catholic) Jacob is a freshman at Lima Central Catholic. He plays varsity soccer and tennis, and enjoys anything that involves sports. Jacob has no specific inspiration for his fiction writing, but has written poetry that was inspired by the death of his grandfather.

Lindsey Warnecke (Delphos St. John's) Lindsey attends Delphos St. John’s and plays soccer and participates in dance.

Shelby Warner (Lima Central Catholic) Shelby plays on the Lima Central Catholic varsity golf team. Recently, she led the golf team to State where the team qualified for fourth place. Shelby qualified for Second Team All Ohio. She also participates in the arts; she is in the school’s madrigal choir and cantor, where she leads the congregation’s songs and responses for St. Gerard’s Parish in Lima. Her goal is to attend a college where she can receive an academic or athletic scholarship. Shelby plans to major in the sports medicine field as a Sports Physician or Physical Therapist.

Nicholas Watkins (Lima Central Catholic) Nicholas plays varsity baseball and golf. He also enjoys computers and editing photos in Photoshop.

Elizabeth Winhover (Delphos St. John's) Elizabeth plays on the junior varsity basketball team and loves to write and read. She plans to someday major in Criminal Justice or Creative Writing. Her poetry and fiction were written for a school project.

Anthony Wolfe (Lima Central Catholic) Anthony is a member of the LCC baseball and Quiz Bowl teams. He hopes to one day be a sports journalist or broadcaster. Anthony has a huge love for music and sports. His interest in paranormal shows like “Ghost Hunters” inspired “Jack,” which he admits is an odd story.

Allison Youngpeter (Delphos St. John's) Allison is a junior at Delphos St. John’s. She is a varsity football cheerleader and is in the band. She has a lead in the school play and is very active in her church. Allison plans on going into Sonography after high school. She wrote her poem in Autumn because that is her favorite time of the year.

Sydney Zerante (Lima Central Catholic) Sydney plays volleyball and basketball. She hopes to attend a private college, or a small college in Ohio, like Findlay, Dayton, or Miami University. She wrote her story because everyone struggles with something in their lives, and her work expresses something she struggles with everyday.

Avery Zhou (Shawnee) Avery was in Power of the Pen for two years in middle school and tries to participate in school writing competitions as much as she can. She also plays piano and flute and considers herself musical. Avery hopes to rank in the top ten percent of her grade by her senior year. She was inspired to write her story because she knows that not every love story has a happy ending.