Luke Tung '28 - Scholastic Arts and Writing Awards
Luke recently earned several 2026 Scholastic Writing Awards through the Missouri Writing Projects Network! For writing, Luke earned a Gold Key Award for his poem, "Holding This Room." Luke also received Honorable Mention for four other pieces of writing. His work was selected from more than 700 submissions across Missouri and Kansas. This recognition speaks not only to the student’s talent and effort but also to the thoughtful instruction and encouragement they received along the way. Award-winning pieces will be published in Missouri Youth Write, an online publication available on the GKCWP website in June.
Students who earned a Gold Key will advance to the national level. Scholastic will notify those students in the coming months if their work receives national recognition. To celebrate our award-winning writers, we are pleased to host an Open House Reception for all student award recipients on Saturday, March 28th, from 1–3 PM. Excerpts of student writing will be displayed in the Montminy Gallery at the Boone County History and Culture Center (3801 Ponderosa Street, Columbia, MO 65201).
The Belin-Blank Center for Gifted Education and Talent Development, University of Iowa, in partnership with the Alliance for Young Artists & Writers, announced the following 2026 Scholastic Art & Writing Award to Luke Tung, a Silver Key Award for his photography titled "The Story of a Whiteboard." His work was reviewed and recognized by a panel of creative professionals and awarded for its outstanding merit in originality, skill, and the emergence of a personal voice and vision. Since 1923, the Awards have recognized some of the nation’s most celebrated artists and writers while they were teenagers, including Tschabalala Self, Stephen King, Kay WalkingStick, José Parlá, Amanda Gorman, Charles White, Joyce Carol Oates, and Andy Warhol.
Holding This Room
By Luke Tung ‘28
I knock on the door.
As I push, the room exhales,
as if it has been waiting.
She says hello from the chair,
blanket over her knees,
hands resting lightly and open.
She talks about how the world is,
how being old makes some things heavier,
how she wishes for a new pair of legs.
We talk about books,
stories she loves, titles I don’t know.
Her fingers hold shapes, memories passing through them.
Sunlight pours through the window.
Dust flashing in the space between us.
She glances at the clock.
“I don’t have long,” she says softly.
A cold jolt runs through me,
ribs tightening, lungs freezing,
as if the room itself held its breath.
Seconds pressed against the quietness,
the air seems to shrink around us.
I want more time, and yet I know I cannot stretch the hour.
Her eyes follow the dust,
then return to me.
Sometimes we sit in silence.
Quiet folds around us like gauze,
thin and protective,
holding what words were spoken.
I notice how she shifts in the chair,
how her shoulders settle,
how the blanket slides and stops,
how small movements can take up space
and still be gentle.
A laugh slips out, quick and warm.
She points to a page in a worn book,
reads a line softly, almost to herself.
The room feels full again.
The clock hums somewhere,
its seconds pressing.
Sunlight tilts.
Edges sharpen.
But the hour leans toward ending.
She opens her mouth once,
then closes it.
A name gathers in the room,
not spoken, not gone.
The clock hums louder.
Even the dust seems to pause.
The dust settles. For a heartbeat, everything feels still.
She smiles instead,
smooths the blanket,
and lets the moment pass.
We talk a little more:
weather, pages, nothing that breaks.
Her hands fold, unfold.
When I leave,
the door closes softly behind me.
The chair is still warm.
Time stays,
holding what still remains.
Thomas Jefferson School
4100 S. Lindbergh Boulevard
Saint Louis, MO 63127
P. F. (314) 843-3527
Saint Louis, MO 63127
P. F. (314) 843-3527
