Two Viewpoint students have recently received awards for excellence in writing.

Senior Molly Davis of Woodland Hills is a 2008 state finalist in the Journalist Education Association's National High School Journalist of the Year Contest and eighth-grader Rachel Ende of Thousand Oaks has been recognized by the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) as a 2008 Promising Young Writer.

"This is the first time in the five years of the Upper School journalism program that a Viewpoint student entered this level of competition," said Viewpoint journalism teacher Laurie Allen, about the Journalist of the Year Contest. "Molly competed against students from all California high schools; her writing style stood out from the crowd and earned her this recognition."

Molly, currently editor-in-chief of Viewpoint's newspaper, The Patriot, has dedicated herself over the last three years to learning all aspects of journalism from reporting and photography to layout and editing.

Last summer, she participated in the five-week journalism program at Northwestern University's National High School Institute to enrich her training in the field.

Molly plans to study journalism and psychology at Emory University in the fall.

Rachelwas selected for recognition as a 2008 Promising Young Writer among 700 students nominated by teachers throughout the United States, Canada, Virgin Islands, and American Schools Abroad.

This program was established in 1985 to stimulate and recognize student's writing talents and to emphasize the importance of writing skills among Eighth-Grade students.

"Thanks to the help of some very special English teachers, I was lucky enough to earn this recognition, which thrills me," said Rachel. "I am very interested in the ways people interact and communicate, and I hope to write about this in different forms of fiction."

"Rachel has proven to be a wonderful English student throughout her years in middle school," said Viewpoint English teacher Mario Garcia. "Both her creative and analytic writing skills have established her as a true writer. Rachel is a talented and dedicated individual, who represents the remarkable accomplishments of a Viewpoint student."

Viewpoint School in Calabasas is a nondenominational, coeducational school of 1,200 students in kindergarten through 12th grade. A member of the California and National Associations of Independent Schools and the Cum Laude Society, Viewpoint offers a challenging college preparatory program in a nurturing environment.

For more information about Viewpoint School, please visit www.viewpoint.org.