Rockwood Students Earn Gold, Silver Keys in Regional Scholastic Writing Awards

Rockwood School District students Wangshu Liu (Marquette High), Annabelle Zhao (Crestview Middle) and Michael Zimmer (Rockwood South Middle) received Gold Key - the highest-possible - recognition at the regional level in the prestigious Scholastic Writing Awards national competition.

The Gold Key winners are currently being evaluated by the national judges of the Scholastic Writing Awards in New York City.

Zimmer is the only seventh-grader who received Gold Key recognition in the short story category at the regional level.

“I was very excited,” he shared. “I was going against 700 students who entered from Missouri and Kansas, and it was very pleasing. Before, I had little interest in writing, but after this, I find writing more enjoyable."

Zimmer credits his success to his language arts teacher, Kristen Engle, and his family and friends.

“I'm so proud of Michael and his parents are absolutely ecstatic,” Engle said. “It’s a huge honor for Michael to receive Gold Key recognition.”

Entries that win a Gold Key are automatically considered for national awards, including Gold Medal, Silver Medal, and scholarship awards. Those who receive national medals for their work will be invited to a formal ceremony in New York City.

Eureka High's Paige Deakin and Marquette's Benjamin Chen received Silver Keys at the regional level, and Lafayette High's Kaavya Panchal and Marquette's Lily Wang received honorable mentions.

Only 56 entries received Gold Keys at the regional level, while 78 received Silver Keys and 173 earned honorable mentions.

Congratulations to these outstanding Rockwood students and their teachers!

Rockwood Students Earning Recognition in the 2026 Regional Scholastic Writing Awards

• Wangshu Liu, Marquette, Gold Key, “Comparing Generative AI and Human Translations of the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle” (Critical Essay)
• Annabelle Zhao, Crestview, Gold Key, “Language Decays: The Cognitive Costs of ‘Brain Rot’” (Critical Essay)
• Michael Zimmer, Rockwood South, Gold Key, “The Experiment” (Short Story)
• Benjamin Chen, Marquette, Silver Key, “Somewhere in the Breeze” (Flash Fiction)
• Paige Deakin, Eureka, Silver Key, “Memory Lane” (Personal Essay & Memoir)
• Kaavya Panchal, Lafayette, Honorable Mention, “If There Was a God” (Poetry)
• Lily Wang, Marquette, Honorable Mention, “Jeopardy” (Flash Fiction)