The Renaissance Education Department will host its ninth annual MindSprouts Creative Writing Showcase on Saturday, June 20 at 7:00 PM. The event is free and open to the public via the Renaissance YouTube channel and FaceBook page. A variety of student writing will be presented in Readers’ Theatre adaptations of short stories, poems, and plays that were submitted to the MindSprouts 2020 Creative Writing Contest.

Typically hosted live on stage at the Renaissance Theatre, the event was moved to a virtual platform in order to comply with Governor Mike DeWine’s Executive Order earlier this year. Each year, as a part of the MindSprouts Program, area K-12 teachers are invited to schedule a free in-class, “jump-start” workshop with Renaissance Teaching Artist Dauphne Maloney, trained by the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C. However, since many previously scheduled workshops could not be held due to school closures, the deadline for entries was extended to allow for the transition of students to online classes.

Finalists include:

Kindergarten—2nd Grade Finalists:

Lucas Fennell, Reagan Elementary (Ashland): “The Mystery of the Mad Scientist”

Denver Kruty, Reagan Elementary (Ashland): “The Case of the Missing Zoo”

Ethan Jurjevic, Reagan Elementary (Ashland): “The Mystery Murdery”

Joey Mecumber, Camden Kreiger, Zachary Jones, Colin Strine, Reagan Elementary (Ashland): “The Missing Dinosaur Skeleton”

Lily Richlovsky, St. Peter’s Elementary: “Abracadabra!”

Andi Sprague, Reagan Elementary (Ashland): “The Stolen Book”

Grades 3-5 Finalists:

Ava Farinacci, Stingel Elementary: “The Stolen Secret”

Eva Hadsell, Camryn Hanning, Sophia Sandwall, Stingel Elementary: “Untitled”

Elise Lehew, Stingel Elementary: “The Twins”

Reese Miller, Stingel Elementary: “The Spy Squad”

Meredith Rizzo, St. Peter’s Elementary: “Vandalism”

Alexander Simmering, Stingel Elementary: “Lost in Space”

Levi Walter, Stingel Elementary: “The Missing Museum”

Julianna Williams, St. Peter’s Elementary: “Moonlight Fairy”

Sydney Winner, St. Peter’s Elementary: “Caught!”

Grades 6-12 Finalists:

Olivia Laux, St. Peter’s Elementary: “The Cesher Family”

Amber Parker, Ontario Middle School: “The Magical Finalists”

Aileena Young, Ontario Middle School: “Believe!”

All submissions were juried by Renaissance Resident Teaching Artist Dauphne Maloney, and passed on to a team of local artists and educators for final adjudication. Certificates for top submissions will be awarded via mail, or at the student’s school at a later date.

The MindSprouts program is open to any student attending Kindergarten through 12th grade. Students were invited to submit one composition in one or more of the following categories: short story, play, or poem. All submissions to the MindSprouts contest were required to correspond to the 2020 theme: “Magical Mysteries!” For more information on this program, please contact Dauphne Maloney at [email protected] or 419-522-2726, ext. 212. Information is also available in the Education section of www.mansfieldtickets.com.

MindSprouts is a part of the Mechanics Bank Education Series and with support by Altrusa International.

Source, Photo: Renaissance Performing Arts Association

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