Haris Durrani ’11:
Haris Durrani ’11 is a Scholastic Awards veteran. He won three Gold Keys for the Northeast region for his short story, memoir and writing portfolio. But his accomplishments do not stop there. He also won the Gold Key for his short story and memoir on a national level. In addition, Durrani won the Gold for his writing portfolio. His prize included a $10,000 scholarship, publication in the anthology “Best Teen Writing 2011” and special recognition at Carnegie Hall in May. While he originally thought he didn’t stand a chance against the tough competition, Durrani is grateful for his success.
“It’s the highest possible honor at probably one of the most esteemed student writing awards in the nation,” Durrani said.
He gives great credit to writing teacher Michael Fulton, who helped him throughout his years at Staples. Fulton encouraged Durrani to enter his work and assisted him to perfecting his writing.
“[Fulton] has read tons and tons of my writing, the majority of which is garbage, and puts up with me day after day. You can’t get better than that,” Durrani said.
With high school coming to an end and college in the near future, Durrani also plans to continue writing, but wants to pursue engineering and history. His hero, Isaac Asimov, was both a writer and a scientist, and he plans to follow a similar path.
“I’d love to incorporate ideas of physics, engineering, history, politics, and so on into my writing,” Durrani said.
Carolyn Chen ’12: Carolyn Chen ’12 recently learned that what was once just a hobby turned into something much more when she won two awards for her artwork. To Chen’s surprise, she won the Gold Key for Excellence in Visual Arts and the Lyme Art Association Best in Traditional Drawing for her oil pastel “Still Life.” According to Chen, she has always loved art and has gained a new perspective on life through appreciating all forms of it.
“It’s wonderful to know that other people out there appreciate my work,” Chen said. Camille Eskell, head of the art department, encouraged Chen to enter her work and says she hoped for the best.
“[Eskell] really inspired and encouraged me to step beyond the boundaries of mindless doodling and to reach for something greater, more memorable, and more insightful,” Chen said. Chen believes everything has a rhythm. Although her drawing was a still life, it still had a pulse.
“I tried to show through this piece that everything has a vivacity that brings everything close to life,” Chen said. In the future, Chen plans to purse a career in architecture or even as a Pixar animator. And of course, she also wants to continue to create amazing drawings for Staples students to enjoy.
Eliza Liewellyn ’14: Eliza Llewellyn ’14 celebrated her recent success for winning two Gold Keys for her writing. She wrote one personal essay and one humor story. Both captivated the judges, who awarded Llewellyn two honors.
“I am very happy that my writing was recognized by these awards, especially because Scholastic is such a big name in art and writing,” she said. The Llewellyn family is no stranger to these awards either. Llewellyn’s older sister, a past winner, inspired her to enter. Llewellyn plans on submitting more of her work to the competition and she encourages her fellow classmates to enter as well.
Grace McGovern ’11: Grace McGovern ’11 is a truly traditional photographer. Her photos are plastered over the Darkroom and she can be found every Wednesday printing furiously in Darkroom Club, of which she is the president. McGovern plans to attend the Pratt Institute for college. McGovern was unable to return a request for interview by press time.
