12 boys from 9T had their creative writing stories submitted into the NZ Zoological Writing Competition. This was a NZ wide competition for year 9/10 students.

Kirk Williams was Highly Commended. Here is his piece and the email I received.

Dear Kirk Williams,

Congratulations! You have been Highly Commended in Write On's Zoological Writing Competition. With hundreds of amazing entries from across New Zealand, it was extremely hard to choose the winning stories, so well done! We loved reading your story and I hope you will continue to enter our competitions and submit work to Write On.

You would be very welcome to join us at our magazine launch party on 28th July at 12pm at the Writers' Block, Hagley College Christchurch. It's our 50th Issue so we're having a bit of a party. You can bring your family and teacher along with you if you like. Do let me know if you would like to come.

Write On is New Zealand's longest running magazine of writing by kids for kids. If you or your school would like to subscribe to our magazine, you can do so here: https://www.schoolforyoungwriters.org/write-on.We are offering a 10% discount on annual subscriptions for Highly Commended students and their schools. Please add HIGHLY COMMENDED at the start of your address so we know to apply your discount. (Offer ends at the end of Term 3 2018)

And you can find out more about The School for Young Writers and the workshops we offer here: https://www.schoolforyoungwriters.org/

Many thanks again for entering our competition and keep writing!

Kind regards,

Melanie Dixon

Editor - Write On
www.facebook.com/writeonmagazine
writeonmagazine@gmail.com

Once Again

The seal dived into the ocean and embraced the cold claws of the cruel sea. The Seal was beginning his daily fish. Just because it was the daily routine of the marine mammal, it doesn't mean it is a safe venture. There are plenty of creatures in the deep waiting for the tasty snack that is a seal. As the seal dived, it snagged it’s fin on a rock, the seal ignored the nick because of its insignificance, but some blood did seep out. The seal continued in search for its meal.

~

Twenty Three miles away an Orca scrounges for a meal. Then like a trained police dog it picks up a scent and bolts. The Orca had smelt a drop of blood far in the distance. It was extremely faint, but the orca was starving and determined.

~

The seal wrenched its body around the furious currents. The seal needed food. It pushed through the waves to find a tasty meal. It didn’t seem that todays look for food would be successful. The seal then twisted its head. He could hear something in the distance. The Orca had arrived. The Orca was charging like an outraged bull at a tantalizing red cape. After seeing the Orca the Seal instinctively jerked into action. The Orca was largely quicker than the Seal but not more agile.

~

Meanwhile several nautical miles away a green dot bleeped on a radar. The bleep set off an alarm. Six salty sea dogs, weathered by the ferocious ocean, gathered round the radar. They were all Polish Poachers, looking for a catch to sell for traditional Chinese medicine. Their orders were to catch and kill a South Pacific Orca. They had just found one.

~

The seal continued to twist and turn away from the horrendous jaws of the Orca. The seal needed an escape route. It couldn’t keep this up forever. The seal heard what sounded like the occasional trading boats that passed by. This distraction caused a moment's hesitation which gave the Orca the chance it needed to envelop its deadly jaws around the helpless prey. The Orca was triumphant. Only moments away from a meal that could save his life from the unforgiving environment he lived in. Crunch. A harpoon was fired. The arrow was the Grim Reaper, piercing the Orca’s abdomen. Stopping the Orca dead in his tracks. The seal, terrified and confused, darted away, it was a bullet from a gun, when fleeing for its life. The Orca was experiencing a terrible pain. It was terrified.

~

The Orca was reeled onto the ship. The poachers cheered for the money they would make, ignoring the Orcas pain. The seal was exhausted, but as it was returning home it spotted a school of sardines. The hunt started, once again.

By Kirk Williams