Three Henderson County Public Schools students presented their winning poems at the public reception for the 2015 Carl Sandburg Poetry Contest.
In the 6th-8th grade division, Louise Cummins of Hendersonville Middle won first place for her poem, “When,” and Journee McMinn of Hendersonville Middle won second place for “Black Bear.
Hendersonville High freshman Erin Justice won the People’s Choice award for “Through a Child’s Eyes” in the 9th-12th grade division. Eleanor Palmer, a senior at Hendersonville High, created the cover art for this year’s chapbook of the winning poetry as part of her Graduation Project.
The Carl Sandburg National Historic Site has sponsored the national poetry contest for seventeen years, drawing participants from as far away as Alaska. Members of the North Carolina Poetry Society judge the entries, and visitors to the park vote for the People’s Choice awards.
Winning poems will be posted at the National Park Service website later this month.
(Article written by Anne Boyette, Hendersonville Middle AIG/LA Teacher.)