THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, April 30, 1995 TAG: 9504290089
SECTION: SUFFOLK SUN PAGE: 20 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY FRANK ROBERTS, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: SUFFOLK LENGTH: Medium: 72 lines
Detective Clever-See-All, Sheriff Johnny Jingle-Spur, Deputy Larry Lasso and helicopter pilot Chopper Jack are the good guys.
Their job: Find the bad guys, the Get-Your-Horse Gang.
The town of Peaceful, residence of the above, was less than that recently, according to ``The Mysterious Horsenapping.''
That neatly illustrated, clever story was written by Samantha Devine, a Mount Zion Elementary School student and fifth-grade winner in the recent Young Author's citywide competition.
The youngster, whose mother, Deborah, teaches fifth grade at Mount Zion, heeds the advice often given to writers - write about something you know.
Samantha knows horses. On the last page, she tells about her new friend, Starry Night; and an old equine friend, Beau, who died in February.
Samantha's story concerns the kidnapping of several horses in Peaceful. Clues she lays out eventually lead to the Get-Your-Horse Gang.
Samantha wants to be a writer. Previously, Samantha won first place for third grade with ``The Treasure Map and the Dog Collar.''
Categories in the Young Author's competition are fiction, non-fiction, poetry and autobiography.
There were no entries from Lakeland High School and only a few from Nansemond River.
Here are the top winners:
Kindergarten - Non-Fiction: Clarissa Epps, Kilby Shores; Poetry: Augie Camacho, Kilby Shores; Autobiography: Rachel Pepper, Kilby Shores.
First Grade - Fiction: Allison Ames, Oakland; Non-Fiction: Kelle Stables, Kilby Shores; Autobiography: Corey Johnson, Kilby Shores.
Second Grade: Fiction: Ivory Richardson, Kilby Shores; Poetry: Rachel Ratcliffe, Florence Bowser; Non-Fiction: Christopher Towns, Oakland; Autobiography: Payton Hoegh, Oakland.
Third Grade - Fiction: Ashley Williams, Kilby Shores; Non-Fiction: Derrantae Wilkins, Nansemond Parkway; Poetry: Raymonda Speller, Kilby Shores; Autobiography: Brandon Dusanic, Nansemond Parkway.
Fourth Grade - Fiction: Samantha Devine, Mount Zion; Non-Fiction: Douglas Ward, Kilby Shores; Poetry: Aaron Walton, Robertson; Autobiography: Sarah Barnhill, Nansemond Parkway.
Fifth Grade - Fiction: Lashunna Lewis, Booker T. Washington; Non-Fiction - Gilliam Gunter, Kilby Shores; Poetry: Jennifer Radford and Kelly Mitchell, Mount Zion; Autobiography: Vinette Davis, Booker T. Washington.
Sixth Grade - Fiction: Deanne Perry and Asha Tiwari, Forest Glen; Poetry: Miguel Hargrove, Forest Glen; Autobiography: Christina Prevatte, Forest Glen.
Seventh Grade - Fiction: Amber Massey, John Yeates; Poetry: Jobi Jones, Forest Glen.
Eighth Grade - Non-Fiction: Andrew Irby, John F. Kennedy; Poetry: Cindy Eure, John F. Kennedy.
Ninth Grade - Fiction: Dana Spencer.
Tenth Grade - Fiction: Melissa Soforenk; Non-Fiction - Matthew Esch; Poetry: Keith Mayfield.
Eleventh Grade - Fiction: Kathleen King; Poetry - Jennifer Clifton.
Twelfth Grade - Poetry: Kelly Jenkins. ILLUSTRATION: Staff photo by JOHN H. SHEALLY II
Young author Samantha Devine, a fourth-grader at Mount Zion
Elementary, has a winning style already.
MEET THE AUTHORS
When: Today, 3-5 p.m.
Where: Lakeland High School
Speaker: Dr. Denny Wolfe director, Tidewater Writing Project, Old
Dominion University
by CNB