For the Love of Literary

“They root for one another like I’ve never seen before, and they are truly the best of

what GWA has to offer.”

– CORRIE BETH NOLL

Corrie Beth Noll

Piano Instructor

When I took the position of piano instructor at GWA in 2014, part of my duties included “accompanying literary vocalists.” To be perfectly honest, I had no idea what Literary was. I also had no idea that Literary would become one of the greatest joys in my life.

Literary encompasses many aspects of the humanities; drama, writing, music, and public speaking. Throughout the school year, high school students practice and prepare to compete against other high schools in our region, and if they’re successful enough, state. There are countless hours spent writing essays, practicing vocal parts, setting scenes, researching international and national topics, and encouraging one another to never give up.

Throughout the years, our literary team has gone through the natural ebb and flow of life. We’ve seen success and defeat, but the last school year we were able to achieve Region Champs, and many of our students competed at the state level and brought home third and fourth place prizes at the state competition.

What is important to know about Literary is that it is a team of students who compete for the love of what they do. They receive no extra credit, no class credit, and many have minimal experience in their competition area other than Literary itself. They go above and beyond what is expected. They root for one another like I’ve never seen before, and they are truly the best of what GWA has to offer.

REGION CHAMPS

Congratulations to our George Walton Academy Literary team on being named Region Champs at the 2022 Region Literary Competition!

Students who qualified to compete in the State Championship are first-place winners:

Jack Boyer—Boys’ Soloist Allison Carter—Girls’ Soloist Zelig Miller, Michael Mealor, Mac Geoffroy, and Jack Boyer— Boys’ Quartet Alex Hutchison and Ana Cordero— Duo Interpretation Taylor Grossman—Rhetorical Essay Anna Swope—Personal Essay

Also, huge congratulations to our second-place students, who worked so hard at their performances and helped to clinch the Region title:

Elizabeth Pope— Dramatic Interpretation Michael Chick—Argumentative Essay Allison Carter, Elizabeth Pope, Ana Cordero—Girls’ Trio Cassie Culver—Domestic Extemp Jackson Harrison— International Extemp Jack Boyer—Humorous Interpretation

Thank you to our coaches, Corrie Beth Noll, Paula Gerhardt, and Tricia Fissette for your work with our students.