Youth Poetry Contest Winners Announced
By Lin Floyd, Contest Chair
Over 105 students in the Washington County School district area competed in the Youth Poetry Contest sponsored by Tuacahn’s Saturday Markets and the Utah State Poetry Society’s Dixie Chapter. The poetry contest with a theme this year of “I Can Be…” will be held annually to celebrate national poetry month in April. On Sat, April 30th the winners in the different age categories will read their original poems at 10 am at Tuacahn’s Preshow Stage next to the Food Court. Rosemary Brossard of Tuacahn’s Saturday Market has collected prizes from local merchants to present to the winners. The event is free and the public is invited to hear our local youth ages 6-18 share their talents. Gary Christian, Secretary of UTSPS will present the prizes.
Winners are: Category A 1-2 Grades 1st Oliver Gonzalez-My Horse, Rain; 2nd Brian Vargas-I Can Be; and 3rd Ruger Moore- I Can Be A Pickle Muncher. All second graders from Dixie Sun Elementary. Category B 3-4 Grades: 1st Whitney Buchanan-My Life is Full of Promise-Horizon Elementary-4th grade, 2nd Aubrey Seegmiller- I Can Be -Red Mountain Elementary- 3rd grade; 3rd Cole Williams-I Can Be a Crazy Friend-Horizon Elem-4th grade; and Honorable Mention- Carly Streker-Butterflies-Vista Charter School-3rd grade. Category B 5 grade: 1st Jenny Humphries-I Can Be…Hurricane Elementary; 2nd Grace Moore-I Can Be…Vista Charter School; 3rd Katrina Excell-I Can Be…Hurricane Elementary; and Honorable Mention-Matthew Kuhlmann- I Can Be -Hurricane Elementary. All 5th graders.
Older youth winners are: Category C 6-8th
grades 1st Vanessa Robinson-I Can Be…Snow
Canyon Middle School-8th grade; 2nd Jamie Gibson-I Can Be…Vista
Charter School-6th grade; and 3rd Katie Moyes-I Can Be…Washington
Online School Utah-7th grade. Category D+E 9-12 grades 1st Ashley McCown-Designs
of My Soul-Snow Canyon Middle School-9th
grade; 2nd Jazmin Jordan-Myself-Hurricane
High School-12th grade; 3rd Mary Garceau-To Catch A Dream-Tuacahn
High School-10th grade; and
Honorable Mention-Amber Cosby-The
Choice-Tuacahn High School-11th grade.
Judges were members of the Utah State Poetry Society and one of them commented: "Thanks for asking me to judge these poems. I was very impressed about how good most of them were, especially in the lower grades.”