Poetic History Made at Huddleston Elementary in Peachtree City

Winners pictured (L-R) Ashley Boyce, Jacob Brachey, Jack Bragg, Hailey Brown, Jack Bukowski, Taela Conlan, Sarah DeNell, Calvin Flowers, Johnna Haskew, Claire Ivory, Sam Liu, Jenny Lyon, Brooke Rainere, Thomas Reeder, Mia Scarbrough, Madi Strelka, Spencer Utt, and Caryanne Wilson. Not pictured is Christy Richardson.

A record-breaking number of second graders, 19 to be exact, have had their original poetry accepted for publication in Creative Communication’s anthology, “A Celebration of Poets.” This is a major achievement for the students at Huddleston Elementary School considering that less than 50 percent of the thousands of poems submitted each year are accepted. About 10,000 schools across the country participate in the annual competition.

“This is quite an honor for us. The student work this year is exceptional. We’ve had some poets published before, but never this many nor has the quality been so high,” says gifted teacher Lisa Evans whose students wrote and submitted poetry to the publication.

The winning students are Ashley Boyce, Jacob Brachey, Jack Bragg, Hailey Brown, Jack Bukowski, Taela Conlan, Sarah DeNell, Calvin Flowers, Johnna Haskew, Claire Ivory, Sam Liu, Jenny Lyon, Brooke Rainere, Thomas Reeder, Christy Richardson, Mia Scarbrough, Madi Strelka, Spencer Utt, and Caryanne Wilson.

Evans says 25 of her students voluntarily submitted their work that was created during a unit on poetry. Many of the poems celebrate nature and one student wrote about her special-needs sibling, a very touching piece titled “Who Am I?” that is among those being published in the anthology, which will be out in print this summer.

Because more than 50 percent of the students’ work from Evans’ class was accepted, the school received the “Poetic Achievement” award that is given to the top 10 percent of the schools that entered the competition. The schools are chosen based on the number and quality of the entries accepted.

Setting a school record for the number of students published in Creative Communication’s anthology and earning the Poetic Achievement award may not be the only honors coming to Huddleston. The 19 pieces accepted for publication are being considered for the highly coveted “Top 10 Poem” award. Top 10 winners receive their own page in the anthology and a $50 U.S. Savings Bond. Winners will be announced in May.

Additionally, the school is eligible to apply for one of two $250 language arts grants that are awarded to each state or region. If the school is selected as a grant recipient, the money will be used to purchase additional supplies for the enrichment poetry unit.

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