Students in the Gustine Unified School District have recently demonstrated outstanding achievements in both writing and mathematics, earning recognition in the Merced County Writing Festival and World Math Day competitions.

At the Merced County Writing Festival, which celebrates student creativity across 40 writing categories, Gustine Elementary third-grader Wendy Perez Martinez took home the gold medal for her poem Love and Hate in the diamante category. A diamante poem, known for its distinctive seven-line diamond shape, requires careful word selection and structure. Martinez’s poem stood out among 2,600 entries, making her one of the top young writers in Merced County. Her teacher, Elizabeth Schmidt, helped guide her through the process, ensuring her work met the festival’s high standards.

The writing festival, open to preschool through high school seniors, allows teachers to submit up to three entries per class in both prose and poetry. Each student’s composition must be an original classroom project, with careful attention to grammar and language use. Judges award a gold medal to the top two entries in each grade, marking them as the best of the best.

Overall, Gustine Unified School District had 11 students place third, 16 place second, and 17 earn first-place awards, making it a strong showing in the competitive event.

Beyond writing, Gustine students also excelled in mathematics, with third graders from Mrs. Michaelis’ class participating in World Math Day, an international online competition involving over 10 million students worldwide.

Among the standout competitors, Kevin Nicholas scored 537 points, ranking 198th in the nation and 1,135th in the world—a remarkable achievement in a competition with millions of participants. Fellow students Stephanie Quinonez and Zayda Alvarez also earned impressive scores, with 447 and 383 points, respectively.

World Math Day, an annual event designed to encourage problem-solving, arithmetic skills, and speed, challenges students to solve math problems against peers globally. The competition fosters critical thinking and numerical agility, providing students with a fun, fast-paced educational experience.

With these recent accomplishments, Gustine Unified School District continues to showcase the excellence of its students, both in creative writing and academic achievement. District officials and teachers commend the students for their dedication, talent, and hard work, setting the stage for even greater success in future competitions.