<div><span>Update:</span>
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<div><span>All About Payton  </span>
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<div><span>With Payton’s recent feature in The BayNet, we know there may be new people visiting this page who have never had the chance to meet her. So I wanted to take a moment to introduce the incredible young person behind this fundraiser.

Payton, who also goes by Ronnie, is 14 years old and finishing eighth grade at Piccowaxen Middle School in Charles County, Maryland. She has always been a bright, creative, thoughtful, and determined child. She is consistently on the Honor Roll while taking advanced and honors classes, and she puts her whole heart into everything she does.

But Payton is more than her grades.

She is a writer, a reader, a performer, an artist, a musician, and a dreamer. During COVID, she fell deeply in love with reading and fantasy worlds, especially stories rooted in mythology, magic, courage, and adventure. That love of reading eventually turned into a love of writing her own stories. She has since had her writing selected for publication in a Young Writers anthology, received recognition for her talent for writing, and continued building a creative voice that is entirely her own.

Payton has also been involved in theater, band, chorus, competitive cheerleading, modeling and performance showcases, creative costume work, and community events. Whether she is writing a story, performing on stage, playing saxophone, doing face painting, or expressing herself through fashion and creativity, she brings imagination and heart into everything she does.

Interlochen Arts Academy became her dream because it represents the kind of place where a child like Payton can grow, not just academically, but creatively and personally. She applied with hope, courage, and a “why not try?” spirit. When she was accepted into the Creative Writing program, it felt like confirmation that her voice, her work, and her dreams mattered.

As her mom, I am doing everything I can to help make this opportunity possible. After financial aid and a required enrollment payment, we are still working toward the remaining tuition balance for the 2026–2027 school year. Every donation, share, prayer, message, and kind word helps us get one step closer.

For those who already know Payton, thank you for loving her, encouraging her, and believing in her. For those who are just now learning her story, thank you for taking the time to see her.

She is a local child with a big dream, a powerful imagination, and the courage to chase something extraordinary.

From the bottom of our hearts, thank you for helping support Payton’s dream. <br /></span>
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<div><span>My name is Christina Burton, and I am the proud mother of Payton Moore, an exceptionally talented young writer who was recently accepted into Interlochen Arts Academy for Creative Writing for the 2026–2027 school year.</span><br />

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<div>Payton has always stood out for her intelligence, creativity, compassion, and natural ability to tell stories far beyond her years. She is an honor roll student, an avid reader and writer, and someone who has spent years developing her voice, imagination, and craft with remarkable maturity and dedication. Watching her receive acceptance into one of the most prestigious arts academies in the world was one of the proudest moments of our lives.


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<div>This GoFundMe was created to help cover the remaining tuition and educational expenses needed to make Payton’s attendance at Interlochen possible after financial aid. This opportunity has the potential to completely shape her future, and we are doing everything possible to ensure she is able to attend.


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<div>For those unfamiliar with Interlochen Arts Academy, it is internationally recognized as one of the most elite pre-professional arts boarding schools in the United States. Founded in 1928, the Academy serves an intentionally small and highly selective student body of only approximately 500 students from across the country and around the world. According to multiple educational profiles and school reports, admission is talent-based and extremely competitive, with students required to audition or submit advanced artistic portfolios for consideration. Each year, only a very limited number of young artists are accepted into the Academy’s programs, making Payton’s acceptance an extraordinary accomplishment.


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<div>Interlochen alumni include Pulitzer Prize winners, Emmy and Grammy Award recipients, bestselling authors, Broadway performers, acclaimed filmmakers, and graduates who have continued on to institutions such as Juilliard, Harvard, Yale, NYU, Berklee College of Music, Carnegie Mellon, and other top universities and conservatories. The Academy’s combination of rigorous academics and world-class arts training has made it one of the most respected arts education programs anywhere in the world.


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<div>The annual cost to attend Interlochen can exceed $80,000 per year before financial aid, making opportunities like this incredibly difficult for many families to achieve without additional support. After Payton’s financial aid appeal, we are still responsible for approximately $14,146 in remaining tuition and educational expenses for the upcoming school year.


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<div>Any donation, share, encouragement, or prayer means more to our family than words can express. Thank you for believing in Payton and helping support her dream and future.


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<div>GET TO KNOW HER ❤️✍️️

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<div>Meet Payton “Ronnie” Moore — a bright, imaginative, and incredibly hardworking young artist from Southern Maryland whose dream is now becoming a reality.

Payton is currently an eighth grade student at Piccowaxen Middle School in Charles County, Maryland. Born and raised in Southern Maryland, she has attended William B. Wade Elementary School, Lettie Marshall Dent Elementary School, Indian Head Elementary School, Mother Catherine Academy, Margaret Brent Middle School, and now Piccowaxen Middle School. Throughout every stage of her education, Payton has stood out not only for her creativity, but also for her kindness, leadership, determination, and academic dedication.

From an early age, Payton showed a love for storytelling and imagination, but everything truly changed during the COVID years. While much of the world slowed down, Payton found refuge in books. She completely immersed herself in fantasy worlds through Percy Jackson, Harry Potter, and nearly every Rick Riordan series she could get her hands on. Her fascination with Greek, Roman, and Egyptian mythology sparked something extraordinary — she did not just want to read stories anymore. She wanted to create them.

What began as stacks of books soon became notebooks filled with original characters, fantasy worlds, mythology-inspired adventures, and stories she eagerly shared with family and friends. Writing became more than a hobby. It became who she was.

At the same time, Payton continued to excel academically. She has consistently maintained Honor Roll and High Honors status while taking advanced and honors coursework, including Algebra I, Honors Language Arts, Honors U.S. History, Spanish II, and advanced science and computer science classes. She was also selected for the Peer Tutors for Success leadership program at Piccowaxen Middle School, where she helps tutor and mentor younger students academically.

But Payton’s creativity does not stop at writing.

She has spent years exploring every corner of the arts and performance world. Payton has participated in theater productions, drama clubs, music and chorus programs, improv and modeling workshops through Barbizon, photography, cosplay-inspired creative projects, themed makeup artistry, and performance showcases. She portrayed Marlin in a production of Finding Nemo Jr. during her time at Margaret Brent Middle School and has received glowing feedback from mentors and coaches who describe her as intelligent, expressive, compassionate, hardworking, funny, and deeply creative.

Payton also participated in the 24th Annual Capitol Barbizon Competition in Towson, Maryland, where she competed in runway, monologue, TV commercial, and improv categories. Judges and evaluators praised her camera presence, confidence, marketability, and expressive performance abilities.

Her involvement in the arts has also included advanced band and chorus participation at Mother Catherine Academy, including a featured solo performance of “Don’t Worry Be Happy” during a spring concert. Outside of school, she participated in competitive cheerleading with Freedom Athletics for several years, where she learned resilience, teamwork, discipline, and perseverance through both wins and losses.

Today, Payton remains deeply involved in school and community life through Drama Club, Dungeons &amp; Dragons, GSA, peer leadership activities, seasonal events, and creative arts programs. She is the type of student who pours her entire heart into everything she does.

Over the years, Payton has received numerous awards and recognitions for academics, citizenship, creativity, and leadership, including Good Character Awards, Good Citizen recognitions, Young Writers honors, academic achievement awards, and repeated Honor Roll distinctions.

Now, after years of hard work, dedication, and artistic growth, Payton has achieved something truly remarkable:

She has been accepted into the Creative Writing program at Interlochen Arts Academy in Michigan — one of the most prestigious and selective arts boarding academies in the country.

For Payton, this is not simply a school acceptance. It is the opportunity of a lifetime.

Interlochen has produced world-renowned artists, writers, musicians, performers, filmmakers, and creatives for generations. Admission is highly competitive, and only a limited number of students are accepted each year. Being selected for the Creative Writing program validates years of passion, discipline, imagination, and courage.

As her family, we are unbelievably proud of her.

We are now working hard to make this dream financially possible. While Payton received significant financial aid, there are still remaining tuition and educational expenses that must be covered in order for her to attend.

Every donation, share, encouraging message, and show of support helps bring this dream closer to reality.

Thank you for taking the time to learn about Payton’s journey, believe in her future, and support a young artist who has worked so hard to earn this opportunity.<br />

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Muhammed Jamil

Michael Sartori

John Graham

Joshua Bristow

Janice Harich

Lucille Stiffler

Support Payton’s Dream at Interlochen Arts Academy

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Support Payton’s Dream at Interlochen Arts Academy

Still $2,250 to go. Help us build momentum.