Nell Holcomb student Mara Murphy places third at National Junior Beta Convention

Mara Murphy didn't expect to place at this year's state Junior Beta Club competition, let alone be named one of the top five finalists in her division at the national level.

But Murphy, a seventh-grader at Nell Holcomb School, did just that by placing third in the Language Arts Division II at the national convention in June at the Gaylord Opryland Hotel in Nashville.

"I was really surprised," she said with a laugh. "At first I was -- the excitement didn't even kick in until later -- at first I was just like, 'What?' I was really shocked. I was obviously really excited, though."

According to its website, the National Beta Club's purpose is "to promote the ideals of academic achievement, character, service and leadership among elementary and secondary school students." Murphy said students aspire to be part of the Junior Beta Club at Nell Holcomb from a young age.

"When we were little at our school, they were kind of like the cool big kids that always got to do cool stuff, and the convention was something they told us about from when we were really young," she said. "So we always kind of dreamed about going, and we couldn't wait to be in sixth grade when we could finally qualify."

Murphy said there are different divisions within the Junior Beta competition, including academic categories and divisions dedicated to the arts, such as photography, painting, woodworking, quilting, poetry writing and more.

But having a passion for English, Murphy entered the Language Arts Division II competition with some coaching from her English teacher.

"I went to see my English teacher at school, and she gave me some tips because she had had students before, actually the year before, [compete], and a student at my school had won third at state," she said.

Murphy entered the competition at the state level and was awarded the first-place prize at the state convention in Poplar Bluff, Missouri.

She also was given the opportunity to compete at the national level, where she was awarded third place.

"I wasn't even expecting to place at state as a seventh-grader, so to actually get third at nationals was really exciting for me," she said.

She said the award ceremony added a more stressful level of anticipation, though.

"They don't tell you what order you're in. They'll just say, 'Could the top five come up here?' and then so when you're standing in line and waiting, it's like a lot of suspense," Murphy said.

In addition to Beta Club, Murphy also is a member of the newspaper staff and is a cheerleader at Nell Holcomb.

She is involved in sports throughout the year, including softball in the summer and soccer in the spring and fall for the Cape Girardeau recreational league and the girls U14 Southeast Missouri Soccer Club team, the Thunder.

Along with Murphy's passion for English, she has a number of ambitious ideas for the future.

"Well, knowing me, I'll probably change my mind a lot before, even in just the next year, but I really love to write," she said.

"I think it would be really cool to actually be a journalist or a reporter. And I've always wanted to write a book. Ever since I was really little, that's always been something I've wanted to do."

Murphy said she values the opportunities she has had with Junior Beta Club and is looking forward to seeing what this year's competition has in store for her.

"I think it's a really great experience, because that's something you can look back on, because I don't think a lot of people really get to have that opportunity," she said. "So it's just something you can look back on when you're older, and you can look at this [the award] and be like, 'That was so cool! I can remember that.'"

Murphy will return to the state competition in December in hopes of qualifying to attend next year's national convention, which will be in New Orleans.