Chase Gyles, a rising fifth-grader at Sandhills Classical Christian School, took top honors in the Moore County Writers’ Competition.

His story, “The Neighborhood Detectives and the Mystery of the Pool,” won in the first through fourth grade category. Gyles received a $100 prize for his story.

Gyles read a short selection from his manuscript at a reception where all finalists were presented awards.

Offered by the Weymouth Center for the Arts and Humanities, the competition is in its 22nd year. Manuscripts are judged by representatives of the North Carolina Writers Network. Awards are presented in four categories: adults and children in grades first through fourth, fifth through eighth, and ninth through 12th.

The stories may be read at the Weymouth Center, The Country Bookshop and Arts Council of Moore County.

Sandhills Classical Christian School is a nondenominational Christian school applying the Classical methodology to foster young minds to think clearly, listen carefully, reason logically, and articulate persuasively.

The school offers a full curriculum that includes a strong phonics program, Latin studies beginning in third grade, and a logic class that teaches students to think critically and construct sound arguments.

SCCS incorporates a comprehensive study of the Bible throughout students’ education. Classes are offered beginning at preschool and continuing through eighth grade. Learn more by calling the school at (910) 695-1874 or by visiting the school website at www.sandhillsccs.org.

IPPY Award

Eno Publishers announces that its book “Undaunted Heart: the True Story of a Southern Belle & a Yankee General,” by Suzy Barile, has received a Silver IPPY Award for Best Regional Non-Fiction from the Independent Publisher Book Awards.

The book tells the story of Ella Swain, daughter of University of North Carolina president David Swain, who had also served two terms as North Carolina’s governor. At the end of the Civil War, Ella Swain fell in love with and married Union Gen. Smith Atkins, whose troops occupied Chapel Hill. Their union was the source of much controversy for many years. Suzy Barile, a descendent of Ella and Smith Atkins, separates fact from lore, drawing on Ella’s never-before-published letters that reveal the difficult challenges of post-Civil War life within a marriage that transcended outrage and scandal.

Barile, a former newspaper reporter and editor, teaches English and journalism at Wake Technical Community College in Raleigh. She is a regular speaker around the state about her family’s history.

“Eno is proud to be the publisher of ‘Undaunted Heart,’” says Eno executive director Elizabeth Woodman. “Suzy Barile’s fascinating story offers us insight into the aftermath of a bitterly fought war and one family’s hope and struggles.”

This award-winning book was published in fall 2009 and was the second issue from Eno Publishers, the Hillsborough-based, nonprofit company dedicated to publishing books about the culture and history of the Carolinas and the South.

For more information, visit www.enopublishers.org or contact gita@enopublishers.org.