Zoey Huie, senior editor for “The Verdict” took home a major award this school year— a National Gold Key in the 2026 Alliance for Young Artists & Writers Scholastic Arts and Writing Awards for her article, Remote Snow Days: The Hero That No One Needed.
The award-winning article talks about the educational change from traditional snow days to remote learning days and why she believes snow days are important for students.
The idea for her article came from her own experiences with snow days. As a child, she enjoyed playing outside in the snow with her younger brother and spending cozy days indoors watching movies. When schools started using remote snow days instead of giving students the day off, she felt that children were missing out on an important part of childhood.
The topic was first suggested by her teacher, Mrs. Gutterman, during her junior year. Students were given possible topics for a writing contest, and Huie immediately chose remote snow days. She was originally supposed to write about the history of snow days and how they changed over time. However, as she continued writing, she turned part of the article into an opinion piece explaining why she believed remote snow days are not necessary.
When she found out she had won a Gold Key, she was very surprised and excited. She explained that she never expected to win such a big award. After waiting two months for the results, she was shocked that her work had received such high recognition. She admitted that she had doubts about her writing and thought other students’ work was much better than hers.
Huie hopes readers understand that snow days are more than just a break from school. She believes they give children time to relax, have fun, and make memories. She also wants young people to know that their opinions matter and that they should not be afraid to share their ideas.
The article took about two weeks to complete. During that time, Huie interviewed several people, including Principal Colby, three students, and two teachers. She also spent a lot of time researching the history of snow days and learning why they were first created. At the same time, she was working on another article, which made the process even more challenging.
The hardest part of the project was interviewing people. Huie described herself as very shy during her junior year. She was especially nervous about interviewing Principal Colby because, at the time, she had never spoken with her before. Even though she was nervous and stumbled over some of her words, the interview went well and helped her gain confidence.
The title of her article was chosen to catch readers’ attention. She compared remote snow days to a superhero because they save school days from being canceled. At the same time, the title shows her opinion that this “hero” is not really needed.
Huie credits much of her success to the people who supported her. Mrs. Gutterman encouraged her to enter the competition, and her parents motivated her to submit her work. Their support gave her the confidence to take a chance. Now, she is incredibly proud that her work has been recognized at the national level. She described the experience as exciting and hard to believe. She will attend a ceremony at Carnegie Hall to receive her medal and celebrate with other talented students.
For other young writers and artists, Huie has one important piece of advice: “Start early and take every opportunity that comes your way.” She believes that hard work, preparation, and confidence can help students achieve great things.
