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Neighbors | Alexis Bartolomucci.Alyssa Gartner, eighth-grader at Austintown Middle School, received an award on Jan. 6 for being the winner of the Danielle Scott Memorial Poetry Contest at the Public Library of Youngstown and Mahoning County.
By ALEXIS BARTOLOMUCCI
Eighth-grade student Alyssa Gartner from Austintown Middle School received a special visit from a representative of the Public Library of Youngstown and Mahoning County on Jan. 6.
Cindy Beach, the assistant manager of programming and youth services for the Public Library of Youngstown and Mahoning County, came to AMS to present Gartner with an award. The Danielle Scott Memorial Poetry Contest occurs during the month of October for teen read week. The contest is in honor of Danielle Scott, a member of the Teen Advisory Board, who passed away from cancer. Teens in grades seven through 12 who live in or attend school in Mahoning County may enter.
“I was very happy with the entries, we had a lot of really good ones. It wasn’t easy to judge,” said Beach.
The theme for this year’s contest was a six-word memoir. The poem had to be a story of the teen’s life wrapped up in six words. “This Time, I Actually Hit Send” was the six-word memoir Gartner wrote for the contest. Angela Yohman made the contest a class assignment so all of her students entered.
“I was excited, but nervous,” said Gartner. “I would do it again.”
Gartner said she got the idea because she thinks how people are scared to send a text message when talking to someone in particular or about a certain subject. The poem showed how Gartner finally faced her fears and became brave enough to actually hit “send” this time. Gartner was awarded a plaque and a check for being the winner.
The contest allows teens to express themselves through writing. Teens from all across Mahoning County will submit their poems online, in the libraries or through their school if it was a classroom assignment. Beach said she is eager to incorporate more writing activities for teens and children in the libraries.