What HooverCodes is, what went wrong, and the lessons a 14-year-old founder learned from it. — My name is Shaams Nur and I’m a rising sophomore at Hoover High School. One day in the fall of 2019, my friends and I were eating lunch and reminiscing on the good ole days of elementary school, back when we didn’t have to think about our GPAs and AP…

by Shaams Nur | Grade 11 | Scholastic 2022 | Short Story | Silver Key — Tyler’s gray eyes lock onto you as you grip the barbell, preparing to bench press. Gloria Gaynor’s I Will Survive starts to blast through your headphones, cueing the start of your set. Shoulders back, chest up, back arched — push. 1 blow, 2 blow, 3 blow. Your arms shake at…

by Shaams Nur | Grade 11 | Scholastic 2022 | Personal Essay & Memoir | Silver Key — I stand at the edge of the dock, while my friends strip, slipping off their shirts, revealing their 6-packs and chiseled biceps. They cannonball into the lake, murky water splashing on my toes. “Come on! What are you waiting for? Jump in!” They had to have known, right? Did they…

by Shaams Nur | Grade 11 | Scholastic 2022 | Humor | Gold Key — Subject: Lake Worter Gym Suggestions September 18th, 2020 5:21 AM From: brownbearlover1959@gmail.com To: gym@lakeWorter.com To whom it may concern: I hope you are having a super, fantastic day. Though I have not formally introduced myself, you probably recognize me since I come in every single day for the past 4…

by Shaams Nur | Grade 9 | Scholastic 2019 Short Story Silver Key — You crouch with your back against that new curb, listening to grunts as neon streaks fly, keeping score for your teammates, your arms around your knees. But as you watch Maxwell toss the tennis ball a little too gracefully and hit a serve onto the deuce side of the court…

by Shaams Nur | Grade 10 | Scholastic 2021 | Short Story | Silver Key — I wake up, right temple throbbing, my back against the floor, a crowd of worried Black Friday shoppers hovering around me. A six foot six black man with a full “James Harden” beard towers over me. His traps bulge through a dense, trench coat and his jawline is sharper than…

by Shaams Nur | Grade 10 | Scholastic 2021 | Flash Fiction | Gold Key — “Ready?” the nurse asks. You swipe left again — the perfect shade of brown. You confirm your selection, and the nurse leads you down a hallway to your augmentation room. You notice her thick, jet black hair is the exact color and texture you requested for yourself. …