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Poland students excel at YSU English Festival
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Neighbors | Submitted.Poland Middle School students heard lectures from author Jennifer Armstrong at the 32nd annual YSU English Festival. The students visited the university Apr. 30.
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Neighbors | Submitted.Poland Seminary ninth-grade students attended YSU's English Festival Apr. 30.
Poland Seminary High School students traveled to Youngstown State University to take part in the university’s English Festival Apr. 28 through Apr. 30.
The festival is an annual event that promotes and cultivates reading and writing and offers presentations by noted authors, impromptu essays, book discussions and language games and competitions.
Ninth-grader Rachel Jeswald placed first in the Not-So-Trivial Pursuit contest and Anastasia Markota, Amanda Shuluga, Abigail Ziegle placed second. Nicole Simeonsson took third.
In the Renga Riot contest, Jess Rutana and Lauren Stebelton placed first and Claudia Cage was second. Alek Ball received third prize in the Candace Gay Memorial Essay contest and Nicole Simeonsson won sixth prize in the Impromptu Writing contest.
Gage, Abby Begezda, Jeswald, Julianna Patrick, John Tomich received honorable mention in the Impromptu Contest.
Poland Middle School students Matt Slaven, Bobby Murcko, Sarah Comstock, Phoebe Bush, Zac Prizant, Charleah Trombitas and Max Prizant also won prizes during the competition.
In all, 22 PMS students attended the event.
Jennifer Armstrong, author of “Shipwreck at the Bottom of the World: and editor of “Shattered: Stories of Children and War” was the featured guest speaker. Her two books were on this year’s reading list.
The four children of Rev. Fred Shuttlesworth, a leader of Civil Rights Movement in Birmingham, Ala., were guest lecturers. They shared their experiences of trying to integrate Phillips High School and of the bombing of their home in 1956.