A Brief History

The Desert Heritage Writing Contest began in 1985 at the instigation of several teachers in the Barstow area: Cliff Walker, John Stacy, Warren Priske, Richard Reeb, Ed Spear, and Bob Chamberlin. These teachers wanted to improve the communication skills of the students in the area. After considerable debate the format emerged. Contests would be held in three areas: fiction, nonfiction and poetry, and three levels: 5th and 6th grade, intermediate school and high school. Then in 1989 the college was included in the contest as well.

The awards were to be sufficiently valuable to encourage entry. A public awards assembly was also part of the package to entice participation. It worked.

Funding the prizes is done by donations from individuals, clubs and college groups. The amount spent totals about $3,000 per year. Barstow College sponsors and contributes financial support for the contest.

 

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