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  1. Home
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  4. Lake Effect High School Poetry Competition

2018 Lake Effect National High School Poetry Competition Winners

Lake Effect poetry contest graphic

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. 

 

Lake Effect High School Poetry Competition

  • 2019 Lake Effect National High School Poetry Competition Winners
  • 2018 Lake Effect National High School Poetry Competition Winners
  • 2017 Lake Effect National High School Poetry Competition Winners

See Also

  • Programs & Events in the School of Humanities & Social Sciences
  • Is a Creative Writing B.F.A. right for you?
  • Learn about the Creative Writing Minor
  • Find out about Creative Writing Scholarships
  • Lake Effect: An International Literary Journal
Pennsylvania map showing Penn State's campuses with Penn State Behrend highlighted

Penn State Behrend

Penn State Erie, The Behrend College, offers the learning opportunities of a major research university in a welcoming, student-centered campus environment.
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