In 1998 NJWPT initiated the Dana Kay Barber Student Writing Awards in remembrance of Dana Kay Barber, a vital, dedicated, excellent, and beloved teacher. Honoring her love of students and her love of writing through this award has led to hundreds of students from the state of Texas to receive this award.

Each year a committee of teachers from all grade levels reads 300 - 700 entries. These coded entries, which reveal neither the name of the student nor the name of the district on the manuscript, are evaluated totally on the quality of the writing.

It is indeed an honor to place in this event. Out of the 14 awards given to elementary students this year, Lovejoy ISD earned 5 of them. The winners were presented medals and a certificate in Austin, Texas on March 29th in the Awards session hosted by Abydos Learning International with family and friends present.  To read the award-winning poem written by Jordan Toomey from Hart Elementary, please visit our Student Work page.

The winners are:

PreK-K Prose
1st Place - Leighton Fisch for ABC's
Lovejoy Elementary, Lovejoy ISD
Kindergarten
Teacher: Tana Schneider

PreK-K Poetry
1st Place - Jakob Kehr for Lightening Bugs
Lovejoy Elementary, Lovejoy ISD
Kindergarten
Teacher: Tana Schneider

Grades 1-3 Prose
2nd Place - Emma Drees for Christmas Eve
Lovejoy Elementary, Lovejoy ISD
First Grade
Teacher: Lisa James

Grades 1-3 Poetry
1st Place - Valerie Wu for Since Jersey Moved Away
Lovejoy Elementary, Lovejoy ISD
First Grade
Teacher: Shari Wilson

Grades 4-5 Poetry
3rd Place - Jordan Toomey for The Night Lady
Hart Elementary, Lovejoy ISD
Fourth Grade
Teacher: Cynthia Anderson