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All the winners and their teacher posed with the judges for the Mountain Vista Writing Contest.
John Hernandez | Miner
Pictured are Mountain Vista School’s winning authors, Nathaniel Benavidez, Phaius Wolgast, and Julia Tellez. John Hernandez | Miner
San Manuel Miner
The second annual Mt. Vista Young Writers Contest was held Thursday, April 10 at the Mountain Vista cafeteria. Teacher Monika Bond organized the event which was judged by Liz Tilley, Linda Thomas, Frank Babb and award winning author Barbara Marriott.
Liz Tilley is a mother of three and works as the managing director for the International Virtual E-hospital Foundation. She has published a murder mystery titled, “Trouble at Hope Junction” available on amazon.com and a book of poetry called “Pen to Paper”.
Linda Thomas is a retired Air Force Colonel. She is president of the Oracle School District Governing Board and is an advocate for public education with the Arizona School Board Association, who named her advocate of the year. She lives in SaddleBrooke with her life partner of 12 years, Holly Lyon. Linda also tackles serious political issues on her blog at restorereason.com.
Frank Babb attended Harvard Law School and also taught English at Harvard. He practiced law for 32 years in Chicago and Washington, D.C. He is a Korean War veteran and also served as an Army Counterintelligence special agent in Panama during the Cold War. His experiences there inspired his published book “Hot Times In Panama: What Would You Do to Serve Your Country”. You can follow Frank’s blog or purchase his book on his website: frankbabb.com.
Barbara Marriott is an award winning author. Her published books include “Annie’s Guests” which is about Annie Neal, and Mountain View Hotel in Oracle. Her book “The fleet Angels of Lakehurst” won the 2013 silver medal in the stars and flags military books awards. Barbara’s book “Outlaw Tales of New Mexico” was awarded first place in the non-fiction book category by the Arizona Press Women.
This year’s winners in the writing contest were: Honorable mention, Kevin Valenzuela, Mikayla Martin, Matthew Peru, Kamryn Carbajal, Ashley Jennings, Megan Buckler, and Analupe Rodriguez; third place, Julia Tellez; second place, Phaius Wolgast; first place, Nathaniel Benavidez.
Nathaniel Benavidez’s winning essay “How Video Games Are Good for You” follows below.
Have you ever thought how video games affect our society? Some people think they are ruining it, when in fact they are doing just the opposite! A number of video games may seem bad, but they actually are good for you in many ways.
My first reason is that video games give you skills that are very handy in life, like hand-eye coordination. They also help kids focus and build quick reflexes. My second reason of how video games are good for you is that several games, like Brain Age, educate you. There are games that can teach you other languages, help your brain develop, and even help slow down the speed of a mind’s deteriorating process! So, video games can help you maintain a healthy and active mind.
My third and final reason of how video games are good for you is that they can sharpen your senses. There are games that can improve sight, hearing and many other human qualities. Archery games, for example, improve aim, which improves eyesight, and all you have to do is shoot a target! So as you can see, there are many ways video games can help you. They are created for all ages, from toddlers to senior citizens. Therefore, if you believe all video games are bad for you, try playing one and see what you think!
John Hernandez lives in Oracle. He is retired and enjoys writing and traveling. He is active in the Oracle Historical Society. He covers numerous public events, researches historical features and writes business/artist profiles.
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