I wrote this piece for my college creative writing course. I took inspiration from an old character of mine named Bryan Sign and tweaked him for this particular story. I wanted to write a story that reflected my impossible trials of cooking in the kitchen. A fun fact that might be of interest: a good portion of the cooking failures in this story were inspired by my real-life events.
Continuing the Winning Streak (Burke Connection)
I wrote this article for the local paper, the Burke Connection, after our high school took first place in the national competition at Bob Jones University. The article was printed on page 14: Connection Archives Continuing the winning streak Fairfax Baptist Temple Academy choral group claims first in the nation by Jenneth Dyck, senior at Fairfax Baptist Temple Academy April 17 marked the date for the Fairfax Baptist Temple Academy (FBTA) girls’ choral group as they placed first in the American Association of Christian Schools (AACS) national competition for the second year in a row at Bob Jones University in Greenville, South Carolina.
How Healthie is the Selfie? (Op-Ed)
I wrote this Op-Ed piece on a whim when I learned about a potential cash prize for best entry–exclusively for teenagers. I worked on the paper on and off for about a week before submitting it just before the deadline. I didn’t really expect much to come of it, but that Saturday I woke up to check the announcements, and to my utter surprise, I found that I had tied for second place. I read and reread the gushing comments from the judge, all day feeling like the most accomplished person in the world. This was the first piece I ever won a cash prize ($50) for in a writing competition. Here’s the original article on my Write the World account: How Healthie is the Selfie? And here are the judge’s comments about my piece: Write the World Blog *Scroll…scroll…scroll* The Instagram feed is long again after a day of my social introversion. Not surprisingly, the feed is composed of the same generic content: selfies, food, throwbacks, selfies, Starbucks, transformation pictures, selfies, sunsets, hospital pictures, pets, weekday crushes—and did I mention selfies? This international, social networking phenomenon has deluged the internet as quickly as a flash flood. The question is: how healthy is the … Read More
I Am Not Right-Handed (Fiction)
This is my Biblical narrative for my high school English class. We had to write a short story on a Bible story. I’ve been Bible-crushing on Ehud for awhile, and he’s a short story, so I decided to go with it. Note: I originally had Ehud alone, but then realized there were others with him up to a certain point, so part of the plot is slightly stretched, but it’ll work for English class. UPDATE: I received an A on this project. The man shifted his weight impatiently as he stood at the corner of the bustling street. Even in the scorching sunlight, he kept his hood up, drawn so the hem cast a slight shadow over watchful eyes. His back molars ground together as he beheld the massive palace, carved from marble and furnished in gold accents. As if the great Eglon thought he was God Himself. The man glanced at the sun’s position. It was just an hour after the noon meal, the time he was scheduled to meet with the king himself. He readjusted the ornate package under his arm and began limping toward the palace. Four companions followed in his wake, carrying similar packages. Gazes from under … Read More
Advancing to the National Stage (Burke Connection)
I wrote this article for the local paper, the Burke Connection, just after my high school placed first in the national competition at Bob Jones University. This was the first time my writing had ever been published outside of the school newspaper. The article was also posted on the Burke Connection website: Connection Newspapers. Advancing to the national stage Fairfax Baptist Temple Academy places in national competition By Jenneth Dyck, Sophomore at Fairfax Baptist Temple Academy The past couple months have been an eventful time for Virginia Christian schools as they worked hard to prepare for the regional and state Old Dominion Association of Church Schools (ODACS) and the national American Association of Christian Schools (AACS) competitions of 2013. Twenty-eight students from Fairfax Baptist Temple Academy were able to participate in these competitions all the way to the national level.
Diary of a “Hall Pass”
I wrote this story for my school’s paper while I was on the journalism staff. Our science teacher had unique hall passes he let his students use when they needed to run to the bathroom or to their lockers — squeaky pet toys. Our teacher would make jokes about how they had personalities, and a feature story was born. As a high school student, this was one of my favorite articles published in the Press. Original article on page three: April 2012 Newspaper Diary of a “Hall Pass” Daily adventures with my friend Ralph dictated by Harry the Hall Pass, written by Jenneth Dyck, freshman Another day on my cozy desk, settled comfortably next to a wall of ungraded papers that smell of ink and sweaty, nervous hands, and beside me is my best friend, always looking at the crowd before him, slightly cross-eyed. Not to blame my friend Ralph, of course. I find myself doing it quite often. Looking at that huge crowd that always sits in the room can be quite intimidating. Mr. Niggl calls it “his class,” but I don’t see much class about it. It’s always very noisy, and some of the “students,” as they’re also called, … Read More
Deadlines force an unexpected meeting
Our school had a monthly newspaper the journalism class would produce as a promotion for the academy. Although to take the class you had to be at least a freshman, that didn’t stop me from writing articles for fun and practice. One of my earliest stories was a feature on a new focus of science fair: multiple students from the school accidentally met up at the local library on the weekend while doing their science research. The article was one that jumpstarted my love for journalism and investigating original sides of stories others might overlook. The story can be found on page six of the original web paper: October 2010 Newspaper (Note: last names were taken out in the web version). Deadlines force an unexpected meeting Students cross paths at Pohick Library by Jenneth Dyck, 8th grade Apparently the library is the place to be on a Saturday afternoon. On Oct. 16, at Pohick Library, students accidentally converged together at the exact same time, all with the same quest: to research books for the science fair bibliography page.