Piedmont Literary Is Second in Region

Building upon their success at the Region 1-AA contest, 12 Piedmont Academy students competed at the GISA AA State Literary event last Thursday with students from other independent schools located throughout Georgia.

Logan Gramzinski, a twelfth grader, won first place in Boys Argumentative Essay for the second consecutive year. This year his winning essay addressed the possible impacts of increasing presidential power in areas such as wiretapping.

Mr. Gramzinski also competed in the piano competition and tied for fourth place.

Competing in Girls Extemporaneous Speaking, sophomore Nicole Wilson also gained first place honors for the second year in a row, this year with a perfect score.

Senior Drayton Ballard also competed and received second place in the Boys Extemporaneous Speaking event. Both Miss Wilson and Mr. Ballard spoke on the nomination and hearing process for filling U.S. Supreme Court vacancies.

Writing about implications of the spread of the bird flu, Bryn McDermott, also a senior, competed in the Girls Argumentative Essay contest where she placed second. Miss McDermott, along with sophomores Kirstie Lewis and Carrie Tucker, competed in Girls Trio.

Blake McMichael, a junior, placed fourth in Boys Oral Interpretation.

Also attending and representing Piedmont well were Martha Powell in Girls Solo and Wyley Deleza, Taylor Jackson, Matthew Powell, and Micah Tyler in boys quartet.
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Each student who placed fourth or higher received points toward a team trophy, and Piedmont finished as first runner-up behind Brookwood Academy.

Adding in points for One-Act play and from the debate team who placed first in state competition in January, Piedmont was also named first runner-up for the overall literary plaque.

The students traveled to the competition held at Valdosta State University and were accompanied by Mrs. Tracy Deleza, Dr. and Mrs. Bill Gramzinski, Mrs. Nancy Gunn, Mr. and Mrs. Ken Jackson, Mrs. Terrie Lewis, Mrs. Missy Braden, and coaches Mrs. Charlotte Crawley, Mrs. Mandy Powell, and Bobbi Sauls.