Creativity and storytelling are paying off for several Star Valley High School students. After submitting original works to the 2025–26 State Young Author Program, multiple SVHS writers earned top honors at the district level and will now advance to compete at the state competition.
A total of 20 students from SVHS entered the district competition, submitting original short stories, poetry collections, or graphic novels. Entries were due at the end of January 2026 and were judged by grade level and category, with results announced to students on Tuesday, March 3. The Young Author Program encourages students to develop their writing skills while giving them the opportunity to share their work and compete with other young writers across Wyoming.
Seven SVHS students earned first-place awards and will represent the school at the state competition. Senior Taggart Ivie earned first place in both the poetry and short story categories, while senior Adelyn Christiansen won first place for her graphic novel. Other first-place winners include freshman Morgan Cooper for poetry, sophomore Kyli Hoopes for poetry, freshman Aniston Schwab for short story, sophomore Logan Tree for short story, and junior Symantha Hepworth for short story.
Sophomore Logan Tree drew inspiration from real-world history for his winning piece. His short story is based on the Battle of Belleau Wood, a fierce World War I battle between U.S. Marines and German forces. “My story is a work of historical fiction based on the Battle of Belleau Wood,” Tree said. “I wanted it to show the horrors that war can bring and not hide the brutality and loss that people experienced.” Rather than focusing heavily on backstory, Tree centered the story on the emotions and experiences of a single character during the battle. “I don’t reveal much about him or his past,” Tree said. “Instead, I focus mostly on his experiences, the horror of the situation, and his overall feelings.”
Despite the effort put into the story, Tree said he did not expect the recognition. “I honestly didn’t think too much of the story after turning it in,” Tree said. “So when I found out it placed first and was advancing to state, I was genuinely surprised.”
Junior Symantha Hepworth also earned first place in the short story category after drawing inspiration from an unexpected source. “The idea for my short story actually came from a video,” Hepworth said. “The lady was vaguely outlining what she would do if she was in a Hallmark movie, and I liked the idea that it brought up. I took her basic outline and adapted it and changed it, inspiring my story.” Hepworth explained that she developed both the characters and the plot at the same time while writing. “I kind of built the characters and the plot together,” Hepworth said. “Because of my outline, I knew what should happen with the characters and how they needed to develop with the plot.”
Hepworth’s story follows characters Matthew Smith, Annaliese Johnson, and Matthew’s young daughter Harper as they navigate grief and rediscover joy during the Christmas season. One challenge Hepworth faced while writing was staying within the 4,000-word limit required for the competition. “You really want to add more description,” Hepworth said. “But you have to keep it to the important parts of the story so that you don’t go over the limit.” Even after placing first, Hepworth said she still feels uncertain about how her story will do at state. “Writing my story was a very last-minute thing because I procrastinated,” Hepworth said. “So it doesn’t feel like it’ll make it, but who knows—maybe it’ll shock me.”
Senior Taggart Ivie stood out by winning two categories. He said focusing on the styles of writing he enjoys helped him succeed. “For my story, I love horror, and I love profound and beautiful poetry,” Ivie said. “So I just aim to fill those categories.” Ivie said he felt especially confident in his short story because it had been in development for several months. “Short story one-hundred percent,” Ivie said. “The Shatterchilde was a story I had in the works since the first few months of summer.”
For Ivie, the recognition is especially meaningful as he prepares to graduate and pursue writing in the future. “To have this achievement is amazing,” Ivie said. “I love to write, and doing this competition has only helped me reach that goal.” He also offered advice to younger writers considering entering the competition. “My advice to younger students would be to never believe that their story ideas are stupid,” Ivie said. “If you love writing, never let people step on that. Write what you like and don’t focus on pleasing others.”
Senior Adelyn Christiansen earned first place for her graphic novel, Rock, Paper, Scissors, a children’s story about the familiar game characters learning to appreciate their differences. “What inspired me was how much I value the people in my life,” Christiansen said. “Everyone brings something unique and special, and I wanted to show that everyone matters.” Christiansen said writing a graphic novel required balancing storytelling with visuals. “This graphic novel is for kids and uses pictures with words,” she said. “I can keep it simple and tell the story in a fun way with illustrations.”
Freshman Morgan Cooper also earned first place in the poetry category after recently moving to Star Valley. She said she entered the competition simply to try writing a poem and did not expect to win. “I felt shocked,” Cooper said. “Being able to put the emotions and thoughts into a poem and have people read and enjoy it is an amazing feeling.” Cooper said she enjoys writing about emotions and the struggles teenagers face while growing up.
As these students prepare for the state competition, their success highlights the creativity and dedication of young writers at Star Valley High School. Their work demonstrates that powerful stories can come from many places—whether history, imagination, or personal experiences.
