SB Unified Elementary Poetry Contest

Santa Barbara Unified students beamed with pride as they showed their writing skills on Tuesday as the winners of the District’s first Elementary Poetry Contest were announced.

The contest was for students in grades Transitional Kindergarten (TK) through 6. The theme was Identity, and submissions were sent in in both English and Spanish.

Over 220 submissions were judged on originality and creativity, adherence to the theme, use of poetic language, use of grade-appropriate language conventions, and the overall impact on the reader. 

Awards were given based on grade level and handed out at Tuesday’s Board of Education meeting. A few students also read their poems for everyone in the Board Room, which was greeted with applause from everyone in the audience. 

TK, K, 1 Collaborative Poems

1st Place: Adriana Solano's Kindergarten Class, Franklin

3rd Place: Megan Comb's TK Class, Roosevelt

2nd Place: Allison Throop's TK Class, Roosevelt

Honorable Mention: Amalia Stochowiak's 1st Grade Class, Roosevelt

K-1 Individual Poems

1st Place: Sloane Shaw, Kindergarten, Washington

3rd Place: Lylah Ochoa, Grade 1, Roosevelt

2nd Place: Charlotte Nuñez, Kindergarten, Peabody

Honorable Mention: Emerson Johnson, Grade 1, Roosevelt

2nd-3rd Individual Poems

1st Place: Victoria Fenkner, Grade 3, Washington

3rd Place: Maia Torres, Grade 2, Roosevelt

2nd Place: Monty Gries, Grade 2, Roosevelt

Honorable Mention: Kai Buck, Grade 2, Peabody

4th-5th Individual Poems

1st Place: Lilian Kleinebecker, Grade 4, Franklin

3rd Place: Aarya Mahto, Grade 5, Roosevelt

2nd Place: Isla Cooney, Grade 5, Harding

6th Grade Individual Poems

1st Place: McKenna Heil, Grade 6, Monroe

3rd Place: Owen Thompson, Grade 6, Roosevelt

Honorable Mention: Emma Frias, Grade 6, Roosevelt

2nd Place: Ava Pomer, Grade 6, Peabody

Honorable Mention: Maya Hernandez-Serrano, Grade 6, Monroe