Pupils reveal write stuff

HOWLAND — Naraya Subramanian, an eighth-grader from St. Charles School, Boardman, was anything but nervous Saturday as she awaited the start of Power of the Pen, the annual district creative writing tournament at Howland Middle School.

“I like to write about a lot of different things,” said the smiling 14-year-old. “I’m pretty good at writing and I’m confident in myself.” The latter comment drew laughter and nods of agreement from her classmates seated nearby.

Like Naraya, other pupils were not lacking in confidence.

“It means more to test yourself and see how you do against your age group,” said Cara Carano, an eighth-grader from Poland’s Holy Family School. “Actually, I’ve been writing for a long time.” Cara is 14.

The two were among more than 150 seventh- and eighth-grade pupils, mostly from Mahoning and Trumbull counties, competing in Power of the Pen, a writing skills competition conducted throughout Ohio since 1986.

For more on this story, see Sunday’s Vindicator or vindy.com