After reading almost 300 poems, the judges of 10th Annual Poetry Without Paper contest have chosen the winners, with students from West Parish Elementary, St. Ann's School and Gloucester High taking the top prizes.
The poems will also soon be featured on the Sawyer Free Library website, ww.sawyerfreelibrary.org.
Sponsored by the Lyceum Committee of Sawyer Free Library, the contest drew entries from students attending various schools in Gloucester.
The winners were honored last week at Sawyer Free Library, where Mayor Carolyn Kirk began the awards program that evening by reading a poem written by Amy Dengler titled "Conch," which illustrates the power of words.
Kirk presented the students with their awards — a certificate, a book of poetry, and a cash prize. The students then read their winning poems in front of a full audience that included family, friends, and poetry fans.
The winners and their schools by category are:
Elementary
First: Third-grader Willa Lepionka Brosnihan, West Parish.
Second: Fifth-grader Owen Bryan, East Gloucester.
Third: Fifth-grader Diane Story, East Gloucester.
Honorable mentions: Third-grader Calhoun Dyer, East Gloucester, and fifth-grader Luke Pata, West Parish.
Middle School
First: Eighth-grader Aislinn McCormack, St. Ann's School.
Second: Seventh-grader Gabriela Llanos, St. Ann's School.
Third: Sixth-grader Kaitlin Marques, O'Maley School.
Honorable mentions: Eighth-graders Lexi Orlando and Caroline King, both of St. Ann's School.
High School
First: Senior Sarah Zuidema, Gloucester High School.
Second: Sophomore Phoebe Weissblum, Waring School.
Third: Senior Hannah Morris, Gloucester High School.
Honorable mentions: Seniors Maryka Gillis and John Interrante, both of Gloucester High School.




