Under the teaching of Ms. Christine Blume, Rocky Point High School juniors Skylar Bachur, Bethanne Basirico, Louisa Schwartz, Grayson Steigerwald and Virginia Villafane were recognized for the 2026 NCTE Achievement Award in Writing given by the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE). Skylar Bachur – Superior Distinction Grayson Steigerwald – Superior Distinction Bethanne Basirico – Excellent Distinction Louisa Schwartz – Excellent Distinction Virginia Villafane – Merit Distinction Based on grade-level enrollment, students are selected and nominated from the 11th grade AP English Language and Composition course, a class dedicated to the art of rhetoric and writing. This year’s nominees were chosen based on their motivation, commitment and talent for writing. Over the course of several months, the students submit multiple drafts of their writing to Ms. Blume, which she edits and reviews. The students make revisions and then in February, their perfected writing is submitted to NCTE. Independent judges evaluate each submission holistically on content, purpose, audience, tone, word choice, organization, development and style.