Huron Hometown News

Three sixth-grade Gifted Language Arts students – Hannah Blackwell, Kylie Greulich, and Maggie Nelson – learned recently their work will be published in the upcoming months in the national magazine, Creative Kids. Earlier in the school year, the students of Dale Casper’s sixth-grade Gifted Language Arts Class had focused their studies on a section of creative writing. One unit within this section included poetry. The students were asked to write 40 to 50 poems creating a book out of their best 15 to 20. Upon completion of this assignment the students were asked to select their “best” work for submission to a contest in Creative Kids magazine. “All of the students did a fantastic job,” said Casper, gifted intervention specialist. Many students have submitted materials and have been selected before, however, never has there been three students accepted at one time, he explained. “To be chosen is an accomplishment,” he said. The magazine is geared toward gifted children between the ages of 8 and 16. Being a national magazine, the competition is tough; therefore, the guidelines are very extensive. Materials for submission include cartoons, songs, short essays, puzzles, photographs, artwork, games, editorials, poetry and plays. The following are the poems and the thoughts behind the poems from the Woodland’s authors. Farm Pond By Hannah Blackwell Bluegills nip at my toes As I swim in pitch black water. Duck weed and leaves cover the water like a blanket. In the shallows, Muck oozes between my toes. Frogs jump seconds before I step on them. Hannah had written “Farm Pond” this past November as she reminisced about a trip she had taken this past summer with her family to her “Grandmother’s cousin’s house somewhere far away.” For Hannah the true meaning of this poem lies within her personal experience. Having had the experience of swimming in the farm pond helped her to re-live the event through words. Hannah’s word choices add great description in completing the overall visual she was trying to accomplish. Hannah plans to continue her creative writing while exploring other writing opportunities. Bonfire By Kylie Greulich The pyramid made by the logs. The heat of the fire, so hot on my face. The orange color of the flame, Lights the dark sky. The popping sounds of the moisture in the wood. The fire dying down, now you see the glow of the embers. The heat of the embers, letting you throw a coin in and letting it melt. This is the power of the bonfire. Poetry and journaling are Kylie’s favorite forms of writing. She was inspired to write “Bonfire” one evening when looking out her bedroom window she could see a neighbor’s bonfire. The bonfire triggered all sorts of fun memories of special times she and her family have shared with their friends around a bonfire. Kylie uses sensory words in her poem to help describe the bonfire in detail, however, she leaves a little mystery story hidden within the poem for only the participants to fully understand. Roses By Maggie Nelson They watch me as I walk along, The pathway filled with flowers. They sing silent songs, Of their powers, To make passing people smile They say they want me to stay awhile And sing with them. Maggie has several special ties to this particular poem; the first being, Rose is her middle name and the second, is the rose happens to be her favorite flower. Maggie feels as though her strength in writing is predominately in nature and potpourri poems. She is often told that her funny, witty sense of humor is present in her writing. To date, she estimates having about 175 poems in her poetry collection. For her, poetry comes naturally. Maggie plans to continue to write short stories and poetry and would like to someday write a book.