Gunpowder Elementary Student Wins State Award for Short Story

Lisa Boyd is an 8-year-old with a big imagination.

"I was bored so I decided to write. Then I started getting ideas," said Lisa, a third grade student at in Perry Hall.

She recently won first place in the Young Authors Contest of the State of Maryland International Reading Association Council for her short story, "The Dragon Fighter."

The can be found . 

First and second place winners were chosen for poetry and short stories from among Maryland schools for grades second through eighth. Three Baltimore County students, including Lisa, Jane Bolling of Seventh District Elementary School and Maggie Gutberlet of Hereford Middle School, won first place honors.

On Tuesday, Baltimore County Executive recognized the winners. School principals and teachers, including Christine Smith and Meighan Murphy of Gunpowder Elementary School, were also honored.

During the ceremony and reception in his office, he told students about his personal connection to the writing profession.

"Our parents wanted [my brother] to be a doctor, but he said, 'I want to be a poet,'" said Kamenetz, whose brother, Rodger Kamenetz, since became an internationally-known, award-winning poet, author and teacher.

"You have a future in writing," he said. 

Lisa also received a separate recognition from County Councilman David Marks. "We are so proud of your creativity and imagination," Marks said.

is about a young princess who wants to fight dragons, in spite of her father's disapproval. One night, she sneaks out of the palace to fight dragons.

Lisa said that the princess is partially patterned after herself.

"Of course, I'm sneaky too," she said. "I will find a way to get what I want. If I want Pepsi for breakfast, I wake up early."

Lisa said she enjoys reading Dr. Seuss books, as well as books in the The Baby-sitters Club and The Adventures of Captain Underpants series.

"She writes about what she thinks about," said her mother, Lisa F. Boyd, adding that her daughter will sometimes sit in front of the computer for hours composing stories.

"I was really enthused that she won," said her father, Patrick Boyd. "I'm still in the 'proud parent' mode."