Four OBMHS students recognized by the National Council of Teachers of English
Oyster Bay Middle/High School is proud to announce that four of its students have been honored by the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) for their exceptional writing in the 2026 Achievement Awards in Writing contest.
Isabella Rizzuto earned the Superior designation, Emma Hampton and Kaela Miley received an Excellent distinction and Mikal Memon was awarded a Merit rating. These accolades reflect the students’ strong command of language, creativity and individual voice, which are all part of the NCTE’s rigorous evaluation criteria.
These students were nominated by Dr. Deirdre Faughey, who teaches AP Language and Composition, AP Research and College English at Oyster Bay Middle/High School. Dr. Faughey also serves as adviser to the school's chapter of Quill & Scroll, the international honor society for high school journalists.
The NCTE Achievement Awards in Writing program, established in 1957, encourages young writers to develop their skills and celebrate their literary talents. In 2026, a total of 689 students were nominated by schools across 38 states, Puerto Rico, and Washington D.C., and internationally from countries including Canada, Jamaica, Mexico, South Africa, South Korea, and Taiwan.
Submissions were judged by reviews from the United States, Canada, Mexico, Jamaica and Taiwan. They assessed each piece holistically for content, purpose, audience, tone, word choice, organization, development and style. The four-tiered recognition system includes First Class, Superior, Excellent and Merit.
Congratulations to Isabella, Emma, Kaela and Mikal on this outstanding achievement, and to Dr. Faughey for her continued commitment to fostering a culture of excellence in writing.
To learn more about the NCTE Achievement Awards in Writing, visit this link..