Both junior Eleni Aneziris and sophomore Isabelle Scott have each been accorded the grand prize award in their respective grade divisions in the 29th Annual Walt Whitman Poetry Contest. The award ceremony to congratulate them for their achievements was held on May 31.

Every year, the competition releases a theme that entries must be based on. This year’s theme was “voice of the elements.” The task required participants to “become the poetic voice of Earth, Wind, Water or Fire.”

In her poem, “The Spark of the Sun,” Eleni embraced the spirit of Fire. When she found out that her poem had won the grand prize award, she was “very surprised and very happy.” She did not expect to win since there was “a lot of stiff competition.” Students  studied some of Walt Whitman’s works in Eleni’s English class, and their teacher, Mrs. Rochford, had them write poems in his style. When she was given the option of entering the competition, Eleni decided to take the chance.

Isabelle adopted the voice of Wind in her poem, “À Tes Souhaites,” which is French for ‘to your wishes’ or ‘God bless you.’ Isabelle had entered this competition in previous years, and this is the third time that she has been awarded the grand prize. Even though she has already won this award before, she was “excited” and “still happy.” Isabelle is enrolled in the Independent Writing for Publication Class, which aims to get students’ works published and into the literary world. As a part of this class, she had entered the Walt Whitman Poetry Contest.