College writers put their heart and soul on paper

Many of the winners in the College Herald competition received their prizes yesterday. Photo / Dean Purcell

If you want to get in touch with Phillippa Ebdon, don't dare send her an email.

The strong views of the 18-year-old, who has so far bucked a trend by refusing to join social networking sites, were expressed in her no-nonsense story in the College Herald, for which she was recognised yesterday, with 19 other student writers.

The students' stories were selected from 3180 submissions to the publication, a section inside the Herald which ran each Tuesday from April to September.

The publication is a forum for North Island students to share their thoughts with the newspaper's readers.

At a ceremony yesterday at Unitec acknowledging the "talented, inspired and wonderful work" from each of the students, Miss Ebdon was commended for her direct and humorous writing style.

"Stop sending me freaking chainmail!" her story reads, before going on to explain her concerns with computer-based communication.

"The trouble with Facebook is that people are now spending more time talking on it than they do in real life. And, when they do talk in real life, it's always, "Ohmigawd, did you see those pictures of so-and-so on Facebook?!"

After the awards, Ms Ebdon said: "I don't have a Facebook account and everyone's always coming up to me saying, 'Why don't you have Facebook? You need Facebook.' And I ask them, 'Why don't you just talk to me, or even text me? It's not that difficult."

Like many of the students who spoke after being given a certificate, a Canon digital camera and $500 for their school, Miss Ebdon expressed thanks for being able to share her views so publicly.

"I think a lot of people think, 'Teenagers know nothing about the world, what canthey write about?' Well, teenagers do know quite a lot about the world and their part in it," she said.

College Herald editor Mata Mihinui said the work submitted gave her an insight into the "hearts and souls" of teenagers, who sometimes wrote sad and beautiful pieces.

Other students commended included Shahle Amirpanahi from Kaitaia College, who was acknowledged for sharing feelings of "sadness, pride, fear and unity" when she shaved her head for charity.

Anna Schuck of Glendowie College and her friend Brenna Cukier received a joint award for a story about starting the school newspaper the Glendowie Grapevine.

Herald deputy editor (news) Shayne Currie praised the students for their efforts and encouraged them to continue writing.

"The written word is so important to us at the paper and it's important to the wider community that newspapers not only survive, but thrive ... The papers will all be stronger if you continue to contribute over the years."

WINNERS
* Maria Ji, Year 11, St Cuthbert's College.
* Shahle Amirpanahi, Year 13, Kaitaia College.
* Sharon McCoskrie, Year 12, Papatoetoe High School.
* Adam Roscoe, Year 13, Green Bay High School.
* Emily Wishnowsky, Year 10, Palmerston North Girls High School.
* Zenas Kim, Year 12, Elim Christian College.
* Shyamolie Mathur, Year 9, Macleans College.
* Daniel Madley, Year 13, Hamilton Boys' High School.
* Anna Schuck, Year 12, Glendowie College.
* Brenna Cukier, Year 13, Glendowie College.
* Jamie Clements, Year 10, St Cuthbert's College.
* Nicole Olynsma, Year 11, Palmerston North Girls High School.
* Katherine Wood, Year 13, St Cuthbert's College.
* Georgia Ware, Year 11, St Cuthbert's College.
* Joy Britten, Year 9, St Kentigern College.
* Ada Huang, Year 9,St Kentigern College.
* Jessica Howes, Year 13, Pinehurst School.
* Shannon Mendez, Year 10, Palmerston North Girls High School.
* Simran Singh, Year 13, Hamilton Boys' High School.
* Yasmin Olsen, Year 13, Epsom Girls Grammar School.
* Phillippa Ebdon, Year 13, St Cuthbert's College.
* Nicola Tuckey, Year 12, Glendowie College.