FIRST-GRADER Benjamin Sawyer is congratulated by North Reading Garden Club President Cathie DeCola (left) and North Reading Garden Club Youth Chairperson Charlene Malek (right) for his award-winning poetry. He won first place at the state and New England Region levels and honorable mention at the National level. (Courtesy Photo)
NORTH READING — The North Reading Garden Club, the Garden Club Federation of Massachusetts, and National Garden Clubs, Inc. each year sponsor a themed competition to develop and creatively express environmental awareness. The competition is open to all area students with the opportunity to see the winner’s work published.
The theme of the 2024 poetry competition for students in kindergarten through the ninth grade was: “I Spy with My Little Green Eye, Something Green Outside – Celebrating Our Green World.”
This year, five students from the E. Ethel Little School submitted a poem to the North Reading Garden Club Poetry Committee. All poems met the established criteria set forth by the National Garden Clubs and were sent to the Garden Club Federation of Massachusetts Poetry Committee. State winners were determined at each grade level entered.
State winners moved forward to the New England Region, again being judged against the grade-level peers of the six states. The First Place entries then are submitted to the National Garden Club for judging. The country is divided into eight regions and each level of the contest becomes more challenging. National winners were announced in late May.
WINNERS and participants in the Garden Club’s annual poetry contest were recognized at an award ceremony held at the Little School. From left: Emme Sawyer, Grade 4 participant; Charlene Malek, NRGC youth chairperson; Benjamin Sawyer, Grade 1 First Place State, First Place New England Region, HM National; Cathie DeCola, NRGC president; Brooke Leahy, Grade 4 Second Place State; Adam Santana, Grade 4 Third Place State; Maulik Jain, Grade 4 participant. (Courtesy Photo)
WINNERS ANNOUNCED
The North Reading Garden Club Youth Chairperson, Charlene Malek, announced that three North Reading students received recognition at the State level and one student also placed at both the New England Region and National level.
First-grader Benjamin Sawyer is the First Place State and New England Region winner. He also received an Honorable Mention at the National level.
The Grade 4 Second Place State winner is Brooke Leahy. Another fourth-grader, Adam Santana, placed Third at the State level.
Malek presented each of the winning students with a Garden Club Federation of Massachusetts Certificate and an anthology of all the state winning poems.
North Reading Garden Club President Cathie DeCola presented a plant and an ice cream gift card to all five entrants, which also included fourth graders Emme Sawyer and Maulik Jain. In attendance at the presentation to congratulate the students on their writing was Principal Christine Molle along with teachers and classmates.
Next year’s contest theme and submission rules and deadlines will be announced in the Transcript when they become available.
