NEHS proudly recognizes outstanding creative talent in the English language arts by naming its annual Creative Challenge Champions!
These champions are students whose exceptional work has impressed our evaluation team and the NEHS Advisory Council. This year’s champions have produced remarkable pieces, including poetry inspired by US Poet Laureate Ada Limón’s The Hurting Kind, contemporary interpretations of William Shakespeare’s The Tempest, and compelling short documentary films highlighting literacy projects in student members’ communities.
We have been moved, enthralled, and inspired by the creativity and talent of our students.
Read on to learn more about the 2023-2024 Creative Challenge Champions and their amazing work.
Creative Challenge Champions
Aquiba Serfati
Winter Creative Challenge Winners: Script Writing
Lions of Literature Chapter
Scheck Hillel Community School, FL
Aquiba Serfati is an eleventh-grade student at Scheck Hillel Community School in Miami, FL. Ever since he was young, Aquiba has always used writing as his way to express his thoughts and sentiments, whether writing a simple response on how kicking a seamlessly meaningless ball up and down a grass rectangle made him feel complete or composing a complex text discussing his reflections on building his dream business. Regardless of the cause, Aquiba has always related to the joy of pressing a computer key by key and being rewarded with the precious gift of a unique story that can represent a million ideas and can never be replicated.
Read: “Aquiba’s Script“
Amelia Tharp
Winter Creative Challenge Winners: Script Writing
Alan Gratza Chapter
Webb School of Knoxville, TN
Amelia Tharp is a junior at the Webb School of Knoxville. As an East Tennessee native, she has grown up surrounded by beauty in nature. It is from this that she draws much of her inspiration when writing. Her love of storytelling can be traced back to her childhood, when she would tell her younger brother nightly stories to help him fall asleep. Over time, those tales matured into written poetry, short stories, and scripts. Her passion only grew after she switched to the Webb School as a sophomore. Amelia strives to write about the world around her—twisting her emotions and experiences into pieces of creative language, and then sharing them with her community to inspire others and spark change.
Read: “Countless Burdens“
Nathan Martin
Fall Creative Challenge Winners: Poetry Writing and Performance
UMS-Wright Preparatory School Chapter
UMS-Wright Preparatory School, AL
Nathan Martin is a Senior at UMS-Wright Preparatory School, in Alabama, and first year member of NEHS. He is an aspiring poet and novelist and likes to write about the little bits of ourselves that make us human. Among his inspirations are Sylvia Plath, Emily Dickinson, Neil Gaiman, Lewis Carroll, and James Joyce. In his free time, he can be found playing jazz, pouring over a new book, or enjoying a cup of tea.
Read: “Elegy Penned on the Shore of the Lethe”
Watch: Nathan’s Performance
John Wozniak
Spring Creative Challenge Winners: Documentary Filmmaking
Phi Alpha Zeta Chapter
Allen D. Nease High School, FL
John Wozniak, a student at Allen D. Nease High School in St. Augustine, FL, brings his passion for literature and filmmaking together in a fascinating documentary. His storytelling illuminates the significance of literacy initiatives within the community. Through his work, John not only showcases the power of literacy but also initiates actionable change, illustrating the profound influence of storytelling on shaping perceptions and fostering progress within Nease High School and the surrounding communities.
Read: “Enlightened Minds: Empowering Literacy at Nease High School“
Watch: John’s Documentary
Maryana Olhovsky
Fall Creative Challenge Winners: Poetry Writing and Performance
Wilde Chapter
Allentown High School, NJ
Maryana Olhovsky attends Allentown High School in Allentown, NJ. She is a member of the National English, Math, and Spanish honors societies. She is a 3-year varsity athlete in Girls Basketball. She works at LOFT Outlet after school and, in the summer, works as a lifeguard. She loves to be creative in her free time. Whether it be doodling, painting, or designing on the computer, she likes to express herself through the use of art. One day, she aspires to become a graphic designer in NYC. She also enjoys singing with her church choir and in a youth choir with her friends. English has always come naturally to her, and she always enjoys a good writing/art challenge.
Read: “I Don’t Get It“
Watch: Maryana’s Performance
Itzel Tak Hambleton
Fall Creative Challenge Winners: Poetry Writing and Performance
PrepaTec Eugenio Garza Lagüera Chapter
PrepaTec Eugenio Garza Lagüera, Mexico
Itzel Tak Hambleton is from Monterrey, Nuevo León, Mexico. She is currently a junior in high school, studying at PrepaTec Eugenio Garza Lagüera, and one of her proudest achievements is having won her middle school’s Mother’s Day Poem contest, winning a small digital tablet for her mom. Since she was a little kid, she has always had an enormous passion for anything art related. Whether it was dancing, singing, writing poetry, or acting, art has had a very significant impact throughout her life. She believes that NEHS is an exciting opportunity for her to share her passions for writing and performance with the world and to keep improving, not only academically but individually as well.
Read: “Love is Pain“
Watch: Itzel’s Performance
Tara Dorji Ritsma and Nora Kadiatou Diarrassouba
Spring Creative Challenge Winners: Documentary Filmmaking
Soma Silverbacks Chapter
International School of Kigali, Rwanda
Tara Dorji Ritsma and Nora Kadiatou Diarrassouba are currently students at the International School of Kigali, in Rwanda. Their film focuses on Patchwork Second-Hand Books, which leads a meaningful project to increase book availability in the capital. We hope to inspire our local community to the fact that all changes can be significant and that it does not take much to start to address an overwhelming task, such as increasing Rwanda’s literacy rate.
Read: “Pages of Hope: Empowering Communities through Literacy“
Watch: Tara’s & Nora’s Documentary
Ashley Hernandez
Winter Creative Challenge Winners: Script Writing
Jose Marti STEM Academy NEHS Chapter
Jose Marti STEM Academy, NJ
Ashley Hernandez is a junior at Jose Marti STEM Academy located in Union City, NJ. Her love of literature began when she was in sixth grade and her teacher announced that their class would be reading Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief. Despite never truly understanding the appeal of books prior, Ashley was immediately drawn to the way Rick Riordan managed to immerse readers in his storytelling and create an exhilarating, vibrant adventure through words. From then on, she aspired to be able to produce her own works that would leave the same lasting impact on others.
Read: Ashley’s Script
Alonzo Bacco Salinas, Manuel Alejandro Martínez Morales, Frida Victoria Navarro Sánchez, Arturo Guerrero Solórzano, Dayra Montalvo, and Andrea Isabel Morales Valdez
Spring Creative Challenge Winners: Documentary Filmmaking
PrepaTec Eugenio Garza Sada Chapter
PrepaTec Eugenio Garza Sada, Mexico
Alonzo Bacco Salinas, Manuel Alejandro Martínez Morales, Frida Victoria Navarro Sánchez, Arturo Guerrero Solórzano, Dayra Montalvo, and Andrea Isabel Morales Valdez reside in Monterrey, Nuevo León, Mexico. Currently, they are high school students at PrepaTec Eugenio Garza Sada. In Why Hate Reading When You Can Love It? they take us on a personal journey from a disdain for reading to a newfound appreciation. This was catalyzed by an unexpected encounter with a book fair in northern Mexico. The documentary focuses on the systemic issues surrounding literacy in Mexico, where reading is often perceived as an obligation rather than a source of entertainment.
Read: “Why Hate Reading When You Can Love It?“
Watch: Documentary
