During lockdown in Term 3, our students and staff were offered by the Libraries team at MLMC the opportunity to participate in a Flash Fiction Challenge. The premise behind a creative challenge is to give students a short break from school work, to switch gears for a little while, to unblock their imaginations. This in turn helps students to refocus back on to school-based tasks.
Each day an image was posted on Simon. The challenge was for students and teachers to write a short story of 30 words or less based on the image prompt. Stories were judged on their creativity, originality and relevance to the image prompt.
We received 226 entries to the competition, which was a fabulous response. Students from every year level entered, some multiple times. The quality of the work at the College by these budding young authors was excellent. The stories were entertaining, some were funny, some were dark but all of them were cleverly conceived and written.
Pictured above are four of the six Year Level winners (from left) Olivia Corney, Hannah Biggin, Ellie Inglese and Ethan Prentice. We are very proud to announce the following winners and their stories:
Year 7:
His nose was all I could see through my half opened eyes and just for a moment, my last moment......happiness as my last breath was with my best friend.
— Olivia Corney (Year 7 Purple)
Year 8:
I walk out of the mist. I feel eyes looking at me. I hear people gasping, whispering. I see shocked faces. That's when I hear it. IT'S HIM EVERYONE. RUN!!!!
— Hannah Biggin (Year 8 Silver)
Year 9:
Even though I am a dog I have a dream. My dream is to be a squirrel. I practice everyday.
— Chloe Isabelle Morris (Year 9 Jade)
Year 10:
The dog sniffed and scurried along the floor when he barked at what was behind the door. For he had smelt the foul stench, the stench of gore and nothing more.
— Lauren De Betue (Year 10 Silver)
Year 11:
"Where are we going" asked my daughter as we walked along the dusty track. "We can go anywhere you like" I whispered, holding back tears. "We're free now."
His nose was extraordinary, sniffing out drugs and bombs. That dog was smarter than the average Joe but can dogs smell the lies and secrets that consume their owners?
— Ellie Inglese (Year 11 Blue) (*NB: Ellie's two stories were both judged to be the best in Year 11)
Year 12:
Distant sun solemnly sets. Darkness follows, daylight ceases, mother's grasping hands release. To explore beyond the horizon's view, to seek in space which closeness offers few. Until sun's gaze resets.
— Ethan Prentice (Year 12 Blue)
Story that made the judges smile — joint winners:
I limp towards the bank. As I enter I grin, as I take a "detour" towards the safe. Later I take off my mask. They'd never blame an old man.
— Denisse Lopez Garza (Year 9 Orange)
"Seriously, Rose," I question with irritation."There is plenty of room on the door, just move over."
— Chloe Isabelle Morris (Year 9 Jade)
Most sinister/spine chilling story — joint winners:
All I know of marriage is the unexplained funeral and then the glorious inheritance, nothing beforehand, that's what the girls do. With all the bodies I've stolen. I'm positively rich.
— Charlotte Lorbek (Year 11 Gold)
So many choices, shapes and types. Sitting there on the table before me within this metal cell, waiting for me to pick my poison and how my sentence is fulfilled.
— Emma Di Paolo (Year 12 Blue)
Staff winner:
I fought the currents, I fought the rocks, I fought the bigger fish. I swam in shallow water and this is how it all ends.
— Mrs Bernie Snell
Staff runner-up:
Welcome to WWE, Wildlife Wrestling Entertainment, where archrivals fight it out for pride and prizes. In our first bout, Butch applies a sleeper hold to Simba. Night night, kittycat.
— Mr Dan Beard
Staff story that made me smile/laugh:
"I can't believe that you didn't call the plumber," said Jack coldly. Rose's hazel eyes glazed over, she knew they had fallen behind in their monthly ‘Boat Insurance’ premium too.
— Mr Paul Morgan
A participation award goes to Chloe Isabelle Morris (Year 9 Jade) who entered 36 short stories from the 32 images that were posted.
Congratulations to all the winners who will receive a Collins Book voucher.
Maths Photo Challenge
In the final three weeks of Term 3, a Maths Photo Challenge was also offered to students and staff. The challenge was to find different shapes in everyday life, take a photo of it and then submit it. The students were offered the themes of the number seven, circles, curves and spirals, and lines.
Congratulations to Abbey Wheeler (Year 12 Green), who submitted the winning photo (below) using the ‘lines’ theme.
