English teachers reviewed all the submissions, selected finalists from each class and Tamez as the overall first place winner. She received a gift card and TKStrong cards.
"I was definitely surprised," said Tamez. "I think I just kind of sat there for a minute making sure it was my name."
Tamez said she decided to write about completing her first drawing.
"It was a very important moment for me. Being able to do something and see what I had done - I just felt a lot of pride and felt good about something I had done."
Since then, Tamez said she's become even more interested in art and continues practicing her creative skills. She hopes to be able to fit art classes into her school schedule in the next years.
She's also interested in writing and has notebooks filled with fictional stories she's created.
Tamez is the daughter of Laurie and Carmen Tamez and said she definitely sees herself continuing in creative writing and art. "It's something I've found I'm good at," she said.
She also is a member of the TK Trojan marching band, the Barry Community Foundation Youth Advisory Council, and a newly-formed writer's club at the high school.
English teacher Hailie Roblyer said the paper was wonderful. "She just wrote so beautifully and in 100 words, it's not easy to do."