Vicenza Middle School Seventh Graders Celebrate NaNoWriMo Success

Keller, Dana Ms.

Jan 21, 2026

Vicenza Middle School seventh-grade English students turned November into a month of creativity and discipline by participating in National Novel Writing Month.

Vicenza Middle School seventh-grade students pose with certificates during a National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) celebration recognizing the Top 13 student novel writers who exceeded school writing benchmarks.

VICENZA, Italy — Vicenza Middle School seventh-grade English students turned November into a month of creativity and discipline by participating in National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo), a global challenge that encourages writers to draft a novel in just 30 days.

Led by English teacher Angela Wilson, students embraced the challenge with enthusiasm and determination. Their efforts culminated in a celebratory luncheon recognizing the top 13 writers who exceeded 20,000 words in their original novels. Families were invited to attend, making the event a shared celebration of student achievement.

“I am always blown away by what students do,” Wilson said. “Each seventh grader wrote a novel in a month.” Her remarks echoed the mission of NaNoWriMo, which encourages writers of all ages to develop their voices, set ambitious creative goals, and bring original stories to life.

One student, Arwa, set a new school record by writing a 190,022-word novel titled A Fateful Garden, far surpassing the school’s 20,000-word benchmark. During the celebration, a brief excerpt from her novel was shared, offering a glimpse into her storytelling skill and emotional depth: “I like him, more than I planned to, more than I should, and more than I can hide.”

For Vicenza Middle School, this year’s NaNoWriMo experience was more than an academic assignment. It was a celebration of perseverance, imagination, and the power of young writers to challenge themselves and exceed expectations.