Second Poetry Contest a Smashing Success!

Anyone who visited the Children's Services section during April noticed the Poet Tree leafing out much more quickly than its outdoor cousins. We were delighted to receive 290 poems from children ages five through twelve in celebration of National Poetry Month. Entries came from ten Appleton area public elementary schools, eight parochial schools, a number of home school students, and one preschooler.

Staff from all over the library spent the better part of Monday afternoon, May 6th, debating which poems were "the best of the best." Believe us, it isn't easy having to decide on only three top poems in each age category!

We are proud to announce the following winners for 2002:

In the 5-8 year old category our winners were
    Nick Ferris for "Soccer"
    Jack Kelly for "Medieval Times"
    Lauren Robertson for "Lay Down on the Wind"

The top three entrants ages 9-12 were
    Ryan Dul for his untitled poem about friendship
    Jenny Kahl for "The Dream"
    Owen Schneider for "Summer"

Interested in reading the winning entries? Check them out on our website - http://kids.apl.org

We would like to extend a heartfelt thank you to all the poets who entered the contest, and to the teachers and parents who encouraged them to participate. You are all winners in our book. We couldn't do it without you.

Missed out this year? Don't worry! You can get a jumpstart on next year's contest by reading, writing and listening to poetry all year round. Look for entry forms for the third annual contest early next spring.