La Jolla High students show they can read and analyze on a national level

Three students representing La Jolla High School have won high honors in a prose and poetry reading and analysis competition.

In the year's third WordWright Challenge meet, Viking junior Alma Halgren was one of only six students in grade 11 around the country to earn a perfect score, while sophomores Clayton Halbert and Jonathan Mandel both placed among the 157 highest-scoring grade 10 student nationwide.

More than 69,000 high school students from some of the best public and private high schools in 47 states entered the meet. English teacher Jewel Weien supervised the La Jolla students.

The WordWright Challenge is a national reading competition for students in grades 9-12 that requires analytical reading of many kinds of prose and poetry. It emphasizes perceptive interpretation, sensitivity to language, and an appreciation of style.

For more information on the program, contact Weien at jweien@sandi.net.