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Polk County middle and high school students, along with their families and English teachers, gathered in Branscomb Auditorium at Florida Southern College on May 11 for the Polk County Schools Poetry Contest Awards.
The release of this year’s poetry anthology marks 50 years of the publication with 254 published student poets.
The double-sided dual anthology — flip and invert to go from the middle school edition to the high school — is a collection of original poetry by students in grades six through twelve. Copies are given to the poets and their teachers. A limited number of additional copies can be purchased by request for $10 by emailing diane.plowden@polk-fl.net.
This year, Isabel Kramer, a sixth grader at Rochelle School of the Arts, taught by Kimberly Nolen, received the Mary Mayberry Award for Excellence in Poetry. The middle school edition takes its title “America is a Beautiful, Giant Kite” from her poem “The Tour Guide’s Lie.”
Isaiah Elias received the Robert J. Fisher Award for his poem “Limits to Muddy Repetition.” His line “We Choose Knowledge, Love, A Voice” was chosen as the title for the high school anthology. Elias is in ninth grade in Lisa Dalton’s English class at George Jenkins High School.
A first place award was given in each grade level:
- 12th Grade: Celina Madhavath, student of Stacey Schubele, Winter Haven High School-Cambridge
- 11th Grade: Tejwant Chauhan, student of Michele Barr, George Jenkins High School
- 10th Grade: Olivia Bisesi, student of Michaela Barney, Winter Haven High School-Cambridge
- 9th Grade: Narenkarthik Ssramen, student of Lindsey Hanger, International Baccalaureate at Bartow High School
- 8th Grade: Alexandra Peterson, student of Amy Eide, Lawton Chiles Middle Academy
- 7th Grade: Anyeli Ramirez-Lomitas, student of Britney Whalen, Rosabelle W. Blake Academy
- 6th Grade: Hadley Faulkner, student of Kimberly Nolen, Rochelle School of the Arts
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