ST. GEORGE – Winning poem topics at Friday night’s awards ceremony for the annual Chaparral Youth Poetry Contest ranged from video games and falling leaves to a hungry bear who ate a poem.
The awards were presented at the American Legion Hall in St. George, where winners received cash prizes and a certificate commemorating their achievement. Most read their poems to an audience of family and friends. One father, whose daughter was unable to attend, read her poem while a friend held up her picture.
Following is a list of the winners’ names, their grades, schools and winning poem titles:
First-third graders.
- First place – Emmett Riding, third grade, Diamond Valley Elementary, “Mario Kart.”
- Second place – Mya Anderson, third grade, Diamond Valley Elementary, “Everybody Has a Name.”
- Third place – William Jeffs, second grade, Diamond Valley Elementary, “Ninjitsu.”
Fourth-fifth grade
- First place – Lily Tilby, fourth grade, Vista Charter, “A Bear Ate My Poem.”
- Second place – Harlee Lee-Sorrell, fifth grade, Diamond Valley Elementary, “I am Broken.”
- Third place – Caleb Spragg, fourth grade, Diamond Valley Elementary, “I am a Shoe.”
Sixth-ninth grade
- First place – Hailey Martin, eighth grade, Hurricane Middle School, “Journey of a Leaf.”
- Second place – Ashley Chadburn, seventh grade, Fossil Ridge Intermediate School, “The Peaceful Disturbance.”
- Third place – Roxanne Sheley, ninth grade, Hurricane Middle School, “Autumn.”
Tenth-12th grade
- First place – Madison Pay, 12th grade, Pine View High School, “Grandmother Aspen.”
- Second place – Jon Zabriskie, 12th grade, Pine View High School, “Restless Feet.”
- Third place – Abbey Bennion, 12th grade, Pine View High School, “Touched by the Robin.”
In addition to the local youth poetry contest, the Chaparral Poetry Forum includes a national adult poetry contest. Winners from that contest were announced in a ceremony after the youth poetry contest and winners included poets from around the country, including Arkansas, Connecticut and Indiana.
The Chaparral Poetry Forum is presented by Redrock Writers in collaboration with Dixie Poets. Its educational mission is sanctioned and supported under the non-profit umbrella of the Utah State Poetry Society and by the Utah Division of Arts and Museums as well as the National Endowment for the Arts.
For more information on the Chaparral Poetry Forum, please visit its website.
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