People, Places and Things: 3-17-15

St. Mary’s High School junior Aislinn McCormack knew from a young age that she wanted to be a writer. Having just been validated with an award by the online writing community Write the World, McCormack is more confident in that decision than ever.McCormack, of Gloucester, was named the winner of Write the World’s New Year Competition, which came with a $100 prize and her winning entry featured on the organization’s homepage. Her fictional story, “The Trouble with This Year,” features a young female alchemist living in a dystopian society. She came up with the concept during a creative writing class at St. Mary’s, taught by Kara McGovern.”I was heavily inspired by a TV show called ?Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood,’ but like every other teenage girl, I’ve read all of the ?Divergent’ and ?Hunger Games’ series,” McCormack said.”Aislinn continues to amaze us with her talents and gifts,” said Head of School Grace Cotter Regan. “She is somewhat of a renaissance woman, excelling in all arenas – from writing to robotics – while displaying remarkable work ethic, humility and creative edge.”McCormack has contributed a number of pieces to Write the World, which is dedicated to improving the writing of high school students through a guided interactive process. Young writers are empowered to develop their voices, refine their editing skills and publish on an international platform.McCormack also served on Write the World’s student advisory board, helping to shape its evolving website. She was first introduced to it after attending a summer program at Grub Street, a creative writing center in Boston.”The founders (of Write the World) were looking for a sample of youth to give input on their new site and offer advice on writing prompts and design,” said McCormack.McCormack is the youngest of Michael and Dee McCormack’s six children. Her sister Hannah graduated from St. Mary’s as valedictorian last year and is a freshman at Harvard, studying engineering.