Several Mars Area Middle School students competed in the 2021 Youngstown State University English Festival, held virtually on April 23.

Seventh-grader Andersen Palmer took second place; seventh-grader Isabel Radens, third place; and seventh-grader Julian Coquelet, fourth place, in the “Not-So-Trivial Pursuit” contest. Seventh-grader Aubree Machi took second place in the Journalism Award competition for her news article based on her interview of Ruta Sepetys, New York Times bestselling author of historical fiction.

Seventh-grader Clarke Wickland received an honorable mention in the Writing Games. Seventh-graders Madeleine Gustafson and Aubree Machi earned honorable mentions in the Candace Gay Memorial Essay Contest. 

Other participants included eighth-graders Jewelie Baker, Rachel Blawas, Ella Gaura, Morgan Harsch, Neely Hawn and Gianna Mannella; and seventh-graders Sarah Arnold, Sydney Denk and Ava Girdwood.

The annual event, open to students in Grades 7-12, welcomes of students from schools in Western Pennsylvania and Ohio and is meant to promote and cultivate reading and writing. For more information, visit http://ysuenglishfestival.org.