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TAHLEQUAH, OK - Five Sequoyah High School students won awards for poetry in a local creative writing contest.

Steven Luwallen, Kristen Fields and Loda Isham took first, second and third place, respectively, in the poetry division of the Starwatch XXII Creative Writing Contest. Lance England and Ashley Fish earned honorable mention.

"I'm proud of how well these five have represented SHS in the Starwatch contest", said Tony Pivec, Sequoyah Superintendent. "They truly are a creative and artistic group, and with a first, second and third in poetry, they’ve established a standard that is pretty difficult to improve upon."

Tahlequah Friends of the Library, a non-profit group, and the Tahlequah Public Library sponsor the Starwatch Creative Writing Contest annually. Contest winners were treated to an awards banquet at the library where they received ribbons.

"Teachers are key people in the Starwatch contest,” said Irene Wickham, member of Tahlequah Friends of the Library. “We encourage the teachers to save the best writings throughout the year and enter them."

Margaret James, an honors English teacher at Sequoyah, entered the students' poems.

"I can't say enough about what all of our teachers are doing here at SHS", Pivec said. "These awards are an affirmation of the quality of instruction Ms. James provides to our seniors. We are proud of her and the students."

Sequoyah High School "Home of the Indians!"       Sequoyah High School, an Indian boarding school, originated in 1871, when the Cherokee National Council passed an act setting up an orphan asylum to take care of many orphans that came out of the Civil War. Sequoyah High School's approximate 300 enrollment represents 42 tribes and 14 different states. Students are eligible to attend if they are members of federally recognized Indian tribes or one-fourth blood descendants of such members.