Gaston Day, Providence literary mags win Tar Heel awards

 "Blutopia" cover.

Gaston Day and Providence High won overall Tar Heel awards for their literary magazines, "Blutopia" and "Roars and Whispers," respectively.

Tar Heel awards recognize high school journalism excellence in North Carolina, and are a part of the North Carolina Scholastic Media Association at UNC Chapel Hill.

 Gaston Day won five of eight overall awards for the magazine as well: fiction, art, cover design, photography and theme development.

Providence also won two: poetry and layout.

The awards were given in June at the N.C. Scholastic Media Institute, where about 350 high school students attended.

Catching up on Rebecca Combs

BY JEFF WILLHELM - jwillhelm@charlotteobserver.com

I featured Rebecca Combs, a senior at Providence, this March for the Young Achievers page. Rebecca has cerebral palsy but doesn't let that stop her from excelling in school and leading a full, active teenage life.

I recently heard from her as she's wrapping up her senior year. 

Rebecca decided she'll be attending the University of Alabama in the fall. She got straight As for the third quarter and is now prepping for AP exams next week. 

This weekend, she got her prom dress. "It's so exciting!" she wrote in an email.

Rebecca was nominated for the Presidential Scholars Award, but did not receive it. "I'm just proud to have been nominated," she said.  "All in all, things are going wonderfully for me."