At the Power of the Pen Western District Tournament held on January 26 at West Carrollton Middle School, MVS student Mackenzie Duff won the 7th grade championship, finishing atop a field of over 100 writers from 20 area schools.

“We compete in one of the strongest districts in the state, and the field this year was bigger than I’ve seen,” said club advisor Tyler Benedict. “Mackenzie’s success is a testament both to her tireless effort to improve and her passion for the written word.”

Since 1986, Power of the Pen has offered Ohio students the opportunity to participate in the state’s leading interscholastic writing league. Competitors are sorted into rooms of 6 and given 40 minutes to craft a story based on a surprise prompt, and the stories are evaluated by judges on-site. At West Carrollton, Duff earned a perfect 300 points for her Rank Score, meaning that she had the top story in each of her three writing rooms. She was the only 7th grader to do so.