The 20th Annual Santa Cruz County High School Poetry Competition Reading will take place on Monday, May 20 at 6:30pm at the Santa Cruz County Office of Education.
More than 300 high school students from all over the County entered the competition, and nine Mount Madonna School (MMS) students have had works selected for the final anthology of 50 published poems, with three MMS students receiving honorable mentions.
Congratulations to:
CeCe Moreno, 9th, The Girl at the Edge of the World
Lily Petersen, 9th, The Cat Sestina
Holden Smith, 9th, The Oak Tree
Julia Gratton, 9th, The Selkie; Honorable Mention, The Apple Tree
Chris Colip, 10th, Adrift Then Afloat
Lexi Julien, 10th, Honorable Mention, The Mirror
Olorin Etemad-Lehmer, 11th, A Sonnet for My Grandfather
Amber Zeise, 12th, Honorable Mention, Prose Poem
Kavi Duvvoori, 12th, People Talking in Cars and Electric Leaves
Please come support them by listening to them read! The event is free.
The Santa Cruz County Office of Education is located at 400 Encinal St, Santa Cruz
“This is an honor well deserved,” comments Melissa Sanders-Self, MMS high school English teacher. “Almost 30 MMS high school students submitted to the poetry competition this year and I would like to acknowledge every student who made the effort to send in their poems. Contests and publications are arbitrary and subjective and rejection comes with the lesson that we’ll never accomplish anything unless we try. Taking risks allows all of us to develop our own individual voices. Although every poem I felt was deserving was not accepted into the Santa Cruz anthology, I believe the learning experience of trying and competing was valuable for all our high school poets. We learn several kinds of poetry in high school; sestinas, sonnets, villanelles, free verse, odes, ballads, lyrics, haikus, etc. and our students are well educated in poetic forms and possibilities.
“The poems the judges selected span a variety of viewpoints and material,” said Sanders-Self. “Chris Colip’s Adrift Then Afloat sestina is a playful exploration of random words and thoughts within a structure, while Lily Petersen’s sestina about her beloved cat brings forth universal sadness on the loss of a pet. Julie Gratton’s sestina The Selkie is a beautiful story-poem told with sophistication and mature artistry. Amber Zeise’s Prose Poem will make you cry, and then you are ready to read Olorin Etemad-Lehmer’s meticulously composed sonnet on loss. Kavi Duvvoori, who has published every year he has submitted, portrays wisdom beyond his age in his content and real engagement with structure in language poetry through his form. Holden Smith captures innocence and innocence lost in The Oak Tree , while Cece Moreno illustrates what it’s like to feel on the edge and Lexi Julien gives us insight into reflection through her poem The Mirror .
“At MMS we place a high value on creative self-expression. We believe ‘ Experiencing the creative process allows students to overcome perceived limitations and opens the possibility for intuitive intelligence to emerge. ’ I am touched and moved by the abilities and efforts of all our high school creative writers, and I encourage them to continue sharing their voices and styles, and to continue submitting and publishing their unique words which make all of our own lives a little sweeter.”
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Contact: Leigh Ann Clifton, Media & Public Relations,
Nestled among the redwoods on 355 mountaintop acres, Mount Madonna is a safe and nurturing college-preparatory school that supports students in becoming caring, self-aware and articulate critical thinkers, who are prepared to meet challenges with perseverance, creativity and integrity. The CAIS and WASC accredited program emphasizes academic excellence, creative self-expression and positive character development. Located on Summit Road between Gilroy and Watsonville.
