Haughton M.S. student wins prize in national essay contest | People

Story courtesy Bossier Parish School Board website

Valerie Yocom has the United States to explore, thanks to a writing contest she entered after seeing the movie Chasing Mavericks with her class at Haughton Middle School.

Yocom's essay made it to the semi-finals in the Blue Nose Edutainment contest, earning the seventh grader a round-trip airline ticket to anywhere in the U.S. Only three students advanced to the semi-finals in the entire nation! The movie was part of a Common Core lesson plan provided by Blue Nose Edutainment, as well as the writing contest.

Students used the metaphor Chasing Mavericks to help them define a goal. The gist of the movie is a young surfing prodigy enlists the expertise of an old pro in order to conquer a truly epic wave. It is a true story, based on surfer Jay Moriarity, who sought the wisdom of a veteran surfer. The two formed a bond and gave Moriarity the strength to face the challenge set before him.

The topics students could write about were "What Is Your Mavericks?" "What Has Been Your Wipeout?" and "Has There Been Someone Like Frosty In Your Life?"

The Blue Nose Team said they were impressed by the many entries, adding "each student poured his or her heart out in terms of defining their personal wipe-outs, what their Mavericks is in life, or who their Frosty is."

Congratulations to Valerie for her inspirational essay. We look forward to hearing more about it when she is recognized at the January 17 Bossier School Board meeting.