St. Charles College student Jillian Campagnola didn’t have any clue that her passion for writing would win her any awards. In her grade 12 Writer’s Craft class, the assignment was to write a ghost short story or myth. Campagnola chose the ghost story. Entitled “White Rage”, her story revolves around a house haunted by an enraged rabid Great Dane dog (ghost) that lives in the walls. Owner of her own big dog, a rottweiler, Campagnola knew that she wanted to include a big dog in her story. Campagnola submitted her story to teacher Nancy Daoust and the end result was top honours in the Ontario English Catholic Teachers’ Association Young Authors Award.

When asked about how she felt when she found out she won, Campagnola replied, “I was really, really surprised and very excited because writing is one of my passions and I just love to write.” Campagnola plans to continue her writing craft and hopes to sign up for more of these classes at University in the fall.