Tanuos, who attends the Culinary/Science Academy, won Second Place in the High School Division for her poem, “One Step at a Time.” Ramdat, also a student in the Culinary/Science Academy, won Third Place for her poem, “Light vs. Dark.”
“I was very surprised when my name was called at the event,” says Tanuos. “I am also pleased to have had Isabella Massey create artwork for my poem.”
The New Jersey Center for the Book, affiliated with the Center for the Book in the Library of Congress, hosted Poetry Indeed!, a free event open to the public. Poetry Indeed! showcased the work of New Jersey students in grades 4 through 12 in the hopes of helping young people find their voices through poetry. Student poets collaborated with a fellow student artist for illustration, and the event committee selected forty poems to be read at Poetry Indeed!
“I was elated to find out that I even got into the contest as a freshman,” Ramdat says. “I was proud of myself and my friend Jessica.”
Tanuos and Ramdat each received a Certificate of Distinction from the Center for the Book/Library of Congress.
 |
| (from left to right: Caitlyn Ramdat, Jessica Tanuos, and moderator Joan Marie Bellotti) |
