Senior Melanie Reichert won second place in the express the music creative writing competition on March 4. The awards ceremony was held during the St. Louis Symphony Youth Orchestra concert at Powell Hall, where Reichert won $200. She was chosen in the top 60 finalists out of 700 entries and won 2nd place in the high school division.

In Creative Writing, Reichert was instructed to write something inspired from the song Overture to the School for Scandal by Samuel Barber. Initially, Reichert wrote twice as much as the word limit, forcing her to cut half the story.

“It all started out as pictures in my head as I heard the song. I’m also a painter, so a lot of the time my ideas form as pictures and sometimes it’s hard to go from pictures to words. It’s like trying to speak another language but eventually it just clicks and then I write and write and write,” Reichert said.

Reichert wrote a lot when she was younger, but focused more on studio art throughout high school. She hopes to continue writing since taking the class.

“I was really honored to have received second place. I wasn’t really expecting to be a finalist, much less get second. It was nerve wracking, getting up in front of so many people. Overall, though, it was a great experience. It’s encouraging me to keep writing, and going to Powell Hall for the concert was great as well,” she said.

Reichert hopes to continue to grow as an artist and tells younger artists to keep practicing and pursuing their passion.

“I think it’s all about practice. If you’re passionate about something, keep working at it no matter what. I wasn’t always a good writer or a good artist, but I’ve worked really hard to become the person I am,” Reichert said.