For Immediate Release

Monday, May 13, 2019

Contact: Jessica Sacco
Phone: 617-993-0003
Email: jessica@jgpr.net

Three GLTS Students Place in Memorial Hall Teen Poetry Contest

ANDOVER — Superintendent John Lavoie is pleased to announce that three Greater Lawrence Tech students placed in the 15th annual Memorial Hall Teen Poetry Contest.

The competition, which ran from March 13-April 3 is open to students in grades six through 12, who could submit up to three entries to Andover’s public library for a chance to showcase their skills and be recognized by their peers.

Four GLTS students’ poems placed out of approximately 175 entries in the high school portion of the competition.

“Every year students participate in this contest and many use this as an opportunity to reflect upon a number of experiences in their own lives,” English Language Arts teacher Cassandra Costello said. “This year, students tapped into powerful imagery and language to address emotionally charged topics.”

The following students all received honorable mention for their poems:

• Sophomore Paula Anabel Cordero, of Lawrence:

“This is What You Left” — discusses the pain and trauma that come in the aftermath of a broken familial relationship. With vivid imagery, Cordero explores the effects of trauma and the way it manifests itself among various members of a family as they pick up the pieces. The refrain “This is What You Left” echoes throughout and calls on the reader to acknowledge the damage done.

• Sophomore Madison Branco, of Methuen:

“The Strength of a Mother” — reflects on the hard work of a single mother who puts her children first in every sense of the term. Her poem honors and concretely identifies the self-sacrifice of hard-working mothers

“Rewriting Fairy Tales” — contrasts traditional fairy tales with real-life lessons. In personal language, the speaker reflects and re-writes the fairy tale narrative and calls upon girls to remember they can take care of themselves without the help of the “knight in shining armor.”

• Senior Janneris Caro, of Lawrence:

“It All Repeats” — uses raw, emotional language to describe issues of declining mental and physical health as the result of a toxic relationship. The poem starts with dialogue and descriptions that physically depict the results of emotional abuse. The poem also shifts in tone and becomes an uplifting description of caring for oneself and the way a healthy relationship can bring out the best in a person.

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