Oyster Bay High School is proud to announce that three of its students have been honored by the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) for their exceptional writing in the 2025 Achievement Awards in Writing contest.

Giovanna Lisa earned the Superior designation, Mosie Bradley received an Excellent distinction and Riley Baehr was awarded a Merit rating. These accolades reflect the students’ strong command of language, creativity and individual voice - hallmarks 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 High School. Dr. Faughey also serves as adviser to the school's chapter of Quill & Scroll, the international honor society for high school journalists. By entering students in the Achievement Awards in Writing contest, she continues to champion the importance of writing and literary development at OBHS.

The NCTE Achievement Awards in Writing program, established in 1957 encourages young writers to develop their skills and celebrate their literary talents. In 2025, a total of 680 students were nominated by schools across 41 states, Washington D.C. and internationally from countries including China, Guatemala, Jordan, South Africa, South Korea, Switzerland, Taiwan and Thailand.

Submissions were judged by two to three independent reviewers who 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 Giovanna, Mosie, and Riley 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 ncte.org/awards/achievement-awards-in-writing.