The Bachelor of Fine Arts in Creative Writing at Penn State Erie, The Behrend College, one of the premier programs of its kind in the country, invited high school students across the nation to submit poems to the 2018 Lake Effect National High School Poetry Competition.
More than 3,000 submissions were received from nearly 2,000 student poets. From those, B.F.A. in creative writing faculty selected three winners of cash prizes, seven finalists, and forty-eight semi-finalists. All finalists received a copy of Lake Effect, an international journal of the literary arts edited by B.F.A. faculty and students.
Read the finalists' poems below. To learn more about the B.F.A., email program chair Dr. Tom Noyes, professor of creative writing and English.
2018 Lake Effect National High School Poetry Competition Winners
First Place ($300)
Andrea Dispo, Lido Beach, N.Y.
Grade 10, Long Beach High School, Rachell Koegel, teacher
“destinesia”
Second Place ($200)
Lucy Cross, Danville, Va.
Grade 10, Galileo Magnet High School, Michelle Larking, teacher
“art, from the perspective of someone who is not an artist”
Third Place ($100)
Grace Tan, Hackensack, N.J.
Grade 12, Bergen County Academies, Richard Weems, teacher
“Wetland Country”
Fourth Place
Darius Atefat-Peckham, Interlochen, Mich.
Grade 12, Interlochen Arts Academy, Brittany Cavallaro, teacher
“Christening Sonnet”
Fifth Place
Diana DeSimine, Pitman, N.J.
Grade 12, Pitman High School, Lauren Mecholsky, teacher
Untitled
Sixth Place
Rachel Valente, Buffalo, N.Y.
Grade 12, Kenmore West High School, Roberta Merkling, teacher
“The Knowing”
Seventh Place
Fiona Stanton, Interlochen, Mich.
Grade 12, Interlochen Arts Academy, Brittany Cavallaro
"Dior Rouge 999"
Eighth Place
Audrey Haber, Allendale, N.J.
Grade 11, Northern Highlands Regional High School, Svea Barrett
“11:57 in the French Quarter”
Ninth Place
Ash Freeman, Interlochen, Mich.
Grade 12, Interlochen Arts Academy, Brittany Cavallaro, teacher
“An Abecedarian for Gwynn”
Tenth Place
Payton Bellman, Austin, Texas
Grade 12, James Bowie High School, Bree Rolfe, teacher
"Neighborhood"
Semi-Finalists
Grade 9
Joyce Shi, Pittsford, N.Y.
Pittsford Mendon High School, Jude Dietz, teacher
Jack Michael Lyons, Jr., West Chester, Pa.
Bayard Rustin High School, Abigail Turley, teacher
Catherine Abbate, Erie, Pa.
Mercyhurst Preparatory High School, Ashley Adamus, teacher
Maggie McAllister, Fayetteville, W.Va.
Fayetteville High School, Dr. Kenneth Adkins, teacher
Annaliese Skerpan, Stoughton, Wis.
Stoughton High School, Joshua Thomas, teacher
Grade 10
Julia Silverberg, Lido Beach, N.Y.
Long Beach High School, Rachell Koegel, teacher
Madi Smith, Kintnersville, Pa.
Palisades High School, Rose Lipton, teacher
John Turner, Scotch Plains, N.J.
Academy for Information Technology, Laura Burkhour, teacher
Grace Q. Song, Great Neck, N.Y.
William A. Shine Great Neck South High School, Vincent Amelio, teacher
Evelyn Zelmer, Newark, Ohio
Newark High School, David Ruderman, teacher
Kylie Laude, Honesdale, Pa.
Honesdale High School, Jason Macey, teacher
Pega Pishkar, Houston, Texas
Clear Horizons Early College High School, David McGoldrick, teacher
Jae Prock, Chippewa, Wis.
Chippewa Falls High School, Greg Adams, teacher
Ivy Gu, Great Neck, N.Y.
William A. Shine Great Neck South High School, Vincent Amelio, teacher
Jenny Oh, Pittsford, N.Y.
Pittsford Mendon High School, Anne-Marie Ark, teacher
Uma Arengo, Lido Beach, N.Y.
Long Beach High School, Rachell Koegel, teacher
Grade 11
Esther Muñoz Sanchez, Honesdale, Pa.
Honesdale High School, Jason Macey, teacher
Uma Menon, Winter Park, Fla.
Winter Park High School, Ben Fottler, teacher
Petra Zadroga, Chatham, N.J.
Chatham High School, Oona Abrams, teacher
Sara Jhong, Great Neck, N.Y.
William A. Shine Great Neck South High School, Michael Moran, teacher
Marrianna Flores, Winston-Salem, N.C.
Atkins High School, J. Scott Plaster, teacher
Raleigh Walter, Interlochen, Mich.
Interlochen Academy of the Arts, Brittany Cavallaro, teacher
Alex Choung, Great Neck, N.Y.
William A. Shine Great Neck South High School, Michael Moran, teacher
Alejandro Christian Ingkavet, New York, N.Y.
The Beacon School, Brandon Lewis, teacher
Margaret DeStephano, Atglen, Pa.
Octorara Area High School, Jennifer Watson, teacher
Aliza Cordoza, Kingsville, Texas
Santa Gertrudis Academy High School, Rox-Anne M. Guajardo, teacher
Nicole Lee, Roslyn Heights, N.Y.
Roslyn High School, Constantine Stamidis, teacher
Husna Kider, Cary, N.C.
Green Hope High School, Ashley Nation, teacher
Grade 12
Taylor Bechtel, Allendale, N.J.
Northern Highlands Regional High School, Svea Barrett, teacher
Anna Louisa Wentz, Pottstown, Pa.
Owen J. Roberts High School, Dawn Galambos, teacher
Vani Shankar, Hackensack, N.J.
Bergen County Academies, David Wilson, teacher
Hannah Malkin, Renton, Wash.
Renton High School, Jennifer O’Roarty, teacher
Samantha Froese, Cary, N.C.
Green Hope High School, Ashley Nation, teacher
Lydia Freeman, Cicero, N.Y.
Cicero-North Syracuse High School, Laura Schilly, teacher
Nicole Leslieann Williams, Seeley Lake, Mont.
Seeley-Swan High School, Lori Messenger, teacher
Athena Nassar, Interlochen, Mich.
Interlochen Arts Academy, Brittany Cavallaro, teacher
Rachel Langlitz, Gilford, N.H.
Gilford High School, Scott Hutchison, teacher
Wyatt Perry, Chillicothe, Ohio
Southeastern High School, Carrie Haines, teacher
Olivia V. Kelly, New Rochelle, N.Y.
New Rochelle High School, Ellen Wallace, teacher
Grace Morrissey, Allendale, N.J.
Northern Highlands Regional High School, Svea Barrett, teacher
Adi Gal, Tenafly, N.J.
Tenafly High School, Lauren Malanka, teacher
Ashlin Ferris, Miami, Okla.
Miami High School, Kassie Joslin
Shivani Persaud, Flushing, N.Y.
Townsend Harris High School, Rafal Olechowski, teacher
Madison Watson, Oologah, Okla.
Oologah-Talala High School, Kellie Capps, teacher
Morgen Smith, Flower Mound, Texas
Flower Mound High School, Kari Lynch, teacher
James O'Brien, Charlottesville, Va.
Charlottesville High School, Susan Mahlburg, teacher
Sofia Shohue Liaw, Dewitt, N.Y.
Jamesville-Dewitt High School, Matthew Phillips, teacher
Victoria Maung, Allendale, N.J.
Northern Highlands Regional High School, Svea Barrett, teacher
Samantha Siefert, Rhinelander, Wis.
Rhinelander High School, Allison Johnson, teacher
Brooke Beckwith, Indiana, Pa.
Indiana Area High School, Julie Steve, teacher
Grace Yoo, Mayfield Village, Ohio
Mayfield High School, Kari Beery, teacher
Bethann Hnatko, Honesdale, Pa.
Honesdale High School, Jason Macey, teacher
The Lake Effect National High School Poetry Contest is made possible by the School of Humanities and Social Sciences at Penn State Behrend and by Barnes & Noble University Bookstores.