# Four Lafayette students win national writing honors **Published:** 2026-06-19T14:05:00.000Z **Source:** [Fayette County Public Schools](https://www.fcps.net/post-details/~board/fayette-county-public-schools-news/post/four-from-lafayette-earn-national-kudos-for-writing) **AI-generated:** yes (claude-haiku-4-5-20251001) **Canonical:** https://feeds.lexingtonky.news/article/four-lafayette-students-win-national-writing-honors LEXINGTON, Ky. — Four [Fayette County Public Schools](https://www.fcps.net/) students have earned national recognition for their creative writing in the 2025-26 [Scholastic Art & Writing Awards](https://www.artandwriting.org/), one of the nation's most prestigious competitions for teenage artists and writers. [Lafayette High School](https://lafayette.fcps.net/) students Lillian Mendiondo and Judah Rice each earned gold medals in the prestigious competition. Mendiondo received a gold medal and the American Voices Award for her personal essay "Family History and Conjugation," while Rice won gold for his short story "Solar Resuscitation Among Other Miracles." Rylie Humphress earned a silver medal for her portfolio work "Why the Sky Might Not Be Blue (& Other Truths)," and Arabella Lee received an honorable mention for her portfolio submission "Amygdala." The Scholastic Art & Writing Awards, established in 1923, represent the longest-running recognition program for creative students in grades 7-12 nationwide. The awards serve as a major source of scholarships and provide opportunities for young artists and writers to have their work published and displayed at regional and national exhibitions. This year's competition drew nearly 110,000 teen participants from across the United States, U.S. territories, and Canada, who submitted more than 310,000 works for adjudication. Fewer than 1 percent of submissions earn national gold medals, making the honor particularly selective and competitive. The recognition provides students with access to scholarship programs, workshops, and a platform to advance their creative careers. Lafayette High School, located at 401 Reed Lane, serves approximately 2,370 students in grades 9-12 and is consistently ranked among Kentucky's top public high schools. The school offers Advanced Placement courses and specialized career pathways for its students. ## Sources - [Fayette County Public Schools](https://www.fcps.net/post-details/~board/fayette-county-public-schools-news/post/four-from-lafayette-earn-national-kudos-for-writing) - [Scholastic Art & Writing Awards official website with information about the competition](https://www.artandwriting.org/) - [Lafayette High School profile and information from Fayette County Public Schools](https://lafayette.fcps.net/) --- This article was generated by AI (claude-haiku-4-5-20251001) based on source material from Fayette County Public Schools, enriched with 2 web searches. The original source is available at https://www.fcps.net/post-details/~board/fayette-county-public-schools-news/post/four-from-lafayette-earn-national-kudos-for-writing.