Ryder Chasin wrote about a day at a ballpark with his Dad. (CLICK TO ENLARGE) Contributed photo
Ryder Chasin, a 12-year-old seventh grader at Westport’s Coleytown Middle School, has won a national essay contest with a submission about a day at a ballpark with his father.
Ryan won in the Middle School category (sixth through eighth grades) of READ Magazine’s “Favorite Places, Special Spaces” essay contest.
Students were asked to write an essay not to exceed 500 words about a cherished locale. Ryder chose to write about a day at Shea Stadium with his father because he is “a huge Mets fan and it is [his] favorite place in the world.”
He said he loves “the atmosphere and the feeling when the Mets have a good game.”
Ryder’s seventh grade Language Arts teacher, Paul Ferrante, said he constantly challenges his students to enter writing contests and that, through the years, Westport students have done well.
Ferrante said that accomplishments such as Ryder’s prove “that our kids can hold their own against any students in the country. I’m proud of Ryder and of all of my students who take the challenge.”
Ryder will be published in READ Magazine’s final issue of the year on May 1. He will also receive a $100 check.
READ Magazine is a national children’s classroom magazine for grades six through 10, published by Weekly Reader Corporation.
It includes a mix of classic and contemporary fiction and nonfiction, including plays, personal narratives, poetry, and more to help build reading comprehension and verbal skills.
GO RYDER! Great Job. You’re talents never cease to amaze me.
Congrats, Ryder!