Writing Comes Naturally To Hawley Fourth Graders

Jenna Calandro and Nicole Chaloux are fourth grade students at Hawley Elementary School who love to write. Earlier this spring, Hawley students participated in the 12th Annual Connecticut Essay Contest.

More than 1,000 students across the state submitted stories describing an interesting place in Connecticut and explaining why they would like to show it off to people visiting the state. Jenna’s entry earned second place and Nicole’s third place.

Jenna’s favorite place is Lake Lillinonah. Her family has a Ranger fishing boat on which they spend much of their free time in the summer. They enjoy fishing, swimming, and sometimes having lunch on the boat. During the rest of the year, Jenna and her family enjoy hiking the trails around the lake.

“I love that we can always go there and always have fun. We’ve been going there since we moved to our house four years ago. Sometimes our neighbors go with us,” Jenna explained.

Writing is Jenna’s favorite subject at school. She likes writing fiction. When asked where she gets her ideas, she replied, “Something just pops into my head and I write about it.” Sometimes, real life inspires her.

Jenna feels “happy because there were a thousand entries and I won second place.”

Nicole wrote about her backyard. “I love to go swimming and we have a great sledding hill in the winter. And a lot of secret places.”

While her backyard is small, it is filled with enjoyment and adventure. She, her sister, and their friends like to swim in the pool in the summer. They like hanging out by her mom’s garden with trees, flowers, and raspberry bushes. There are paths through the woods around her house, another fun place to hang out.

Writing is also Nicole’s favorite subject. She likes to write nonfiction. For Nicole, writing also “is a way to express your feelings. Like some people paint to express themselves.”

What was it like to win third place?

“When I first found out the news, it was really exciting. I was happy,” said Nicole.