2024 Junior School Poetry Competition

Poetry, like music, art, and dance, limbers up the imagination and is a beautiful form of expression. It is an art form that packs an emotional punch. We saw first-hand the power of poetry in our Junior School assembly on Thursday, January 18, when ten student finalists from Grades 6-9 stepped forward to recite their chosen poems. There was a range of styles and deliveries and original and classic poems: Juno du Toit ’29 chose a poem that was written by her mother years before, entitled “Idiosyncrasy”; Blake Kielty ’27 wrote a poem about life at King’s-Edgehill School, and Altyn Hood ’29 and Nathan Woo ’28 chose poems that conveyed humour. You could hear a pin drop as students recited their chosen poems, making us laugh, sigh, and think carefully about the messages conveyed.

Congratulations are extended to all ten finalists: Spencer Armstrong ’30, Juno du Toit ’29, Kelsea Griffiths ’27, Sawyer Harris ’28, Altyn Hood ’29, Blake Kielty ’27, Ruari Ryan ’29, Anthony Wheeler ’27, Nathan Woo ’28, and Leonardo (Zhuoli) Yang ‘28; they are all winners and can be proud of their efforts to stand up and share their poem with the entire Junior School. The youngest contestant in this year’s poetry competition, Spencer Armstrong ’30, placed first. He delivered the poem “The Tragedy of War” by A. Thomas Hawkins with poise and passion and impressed the judges with his dramatic rendition. What a creative and entertaining way to start our day!