Shorter University’s chapter of Sigma Tau Delta has selected three winners of its Best First-Year Composition Essay contest. The International English Honor Society opened the contest to freshmen in composition classes, and winners were selected by Sigma Tau Delta members and Shorter University professors.

Through its Best First-Year Essay Composition Contest, Shorter’s Department of English, Modern Languages, and Liberal Arts highlighted excellent student writing and sought to provide a model for future freshman classes to follow, according to Dr. Angie O’Neal, chair of the department, who also serves as associate professor of English and holds the Joan Alden Speidel Chair in English. This is the third year of the contest.

Dr. Mark Hamilton, assistant professor of English, said student essays are nominated by Shorter professors and then a committee selects the winners by looking for the most thought-provoking essays.

Tiffany Crawford, a freshman music education major from Rocky Face, Ga., won first place. Sydney Holmes, a sophomore music education major from Atlanta, Ga., won second place. Jennings Gardner, a freshman voice major from San Clemente, Calif., won third place.

Crawford wrote “The Good Teacher,” which tells a story about the struggles of teachers in identifying success and what it means. Holmes wrote “Help Wanted: Housewife,” which details the struggles and triumphs many women have had in understanding their vocation in a culturally, but not actually, Christian society. Gardner wrote “Mastering Song Evaluation,” which focuses on the way great musicians think, outside most of the technical and practical details of performance.

“The goal is to remind students of the emphasis in the Bible of doing all work, including freshman writing, as unto the Lord, not simply doing their major level work as unto the Lord (Colossians 3:23),” Hamilton said.

The students were acknowledged at the release celebration for The Chimes literary magazine during the spring semester.

Written by Public Relations Student Writer Caleb Britt

Founded in 1873, Shorter University is a Christ-centered, four-year liberal arts university committed to excellence in education. The Princeton Review annually includes Shorter on its list of best Southeastern Colleges. The university offers traditional bachelor’s degrees in 40 areas of study, online courses and degree programs, undergraduate programs for working adults, and master’s programs. Learn more about Shorter at www.shorter.edu.

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