ResourcesPoetic Words Take APS Students to D.C.
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Two APS students used their words to take them all the way to the nation’s capitol.
Gateway High School’s Passion Lyons and Mrachek Middle School student Crystal Schwaigert both took recent trips to Washington, D.C.
Neither student was on a typical site-seeing tour of the nation’s capitol. Instead, they were there to be recognized for their poetic words.
Lyons appeared in the Poetry Out Loud scholarship competition in Washington, D.C., after winning the Colorado state finals. The competition began in 2006 as a way to encourage high school students to learn about great poetry through memorization and performance.
In addition to participating in the competition, Lyons also toured the White House and the Kennedy Center and enjoyed lunch with members of congress.
Schwaigert entered the “River of Words” International Environmental and Art contest sponsored by the Library of Congress. Competing with more than 10,000 other entries, her winning poem, “Is There a Place to Rest My Soul?” was chosen as one of 100 finalists. Schwaigert’s poem will be published in the anthology, River of Words: The Natural World as Viewed by Young People.
“This poem just came to me as I was thinking of how we need to take care of our world. I felt so honored and surprised when they chose my poem, especially since it took me a while to find my voice. Through hard work, and the people who have supported me, I have come a long way. Anything is possible!”
- Crystal Schwaigert
Mrachek Middle School Student
Like Lyons, Schwaigert traveled to the nation’s capitol to receive her award at the Library of Congress.
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