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 2019 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, nine finalists, and forty 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.
2019 Lake Effect National High School Poetry Competition Winners
First Place ($300)
Kate Li, Naperville, Ill.
Grade 11, Naperville Central High School, Nicole Weiss, teacher
"Names of Leftover Men and Women"
Second Place ($200)
Sarah Lao, Atlanta, Ga.
Grade 11, The Westminster Schools, Jennifer Dracos-Tice, teacher
"Firelight"
Third Place ($100)
Anna Wang, Lincolnshire, Ill.
Grade 12, Adlai E. Stevenson High School, Melissa Mack, teacher
"Apologia"
Finalists (in alphabetical order)
- Isabella Choi, Hackensack, N.J.
Grade 11, Bergen County Academies, Richard Weems, teacher
"Crooked Feet Can Still Sing" - Sabrina Guo, Syosset, N.Y.
Grade 9, Syosset High School, Robin Infeld, teacher
"Huai Shi Hao Shi (Evil Things, Good Things)" - Charlotte Hughes, Columbia, S.C.
Grade 11, Heathwood Hall, Sally Plowden, teacher
"Elegy with Deer Teeth" (after Emily Skaja) - Kate Li, Naperville, Ill.
Grade 11, Naperville Central High School, Nicole Weiss, teacher
"Portrait of Grandmother before Dinner" - Uma Menon, Winter Park, Fla.
Grade 12, Winter Park High School, Dr. Daniel Farmer, teacher
"Sonnet for Bilingual Women" - Kinyon Moore, Elko, Nev.
Grade 12, Elko High School, Kelly Moon, teacher
"Maritime Mythos" - Abigail Povill, Middletown, N.Y.
Grade 12, Minisink Valley High School, Emily Rufino, teacher
"For Becca" - Grace Q. Song, Great Neck, N.Y.
Grade 11, Great Neck South High School, Jennifer Hastings, teacher
"Dead Fish Syndrome" - Miracle Thornton, Interlochen, Mich.
Grade 12, Interlochen Arts Academy, Dr. Brittany Cavallaro, teacher
"We’re All Natural"
Semi-finalists
Grade 9
- Molly Green, Midland, Pa.
Lincoln Park Performing Arts Charter School, Cindy West, teacher
Grade 10
- Samantha Aikman, Richmond, Vt.
Mount Mansfield Union High School, Spencer Rosner, teacher - Liliana Hopkins, Secaucus, N.J.
Secaucus High School, Thiago Leite, teacher - Isadora Turbek, Lido Beach, N.Y.
Long Beach High School, Rachell Koegel, teacher - Novalea Verno, York, Pa.
Central York High School, Tara Goodrich, teacher
Grade 11
- Leyla Anglin, Montgomery, N.Y.
Valley Central High School, Antoinette Oakes, teacher - Sara Carmichael, Interlochen, Mich.
Interlochen Arts Academy, Dr. Brittany Cavallaro, teacher - Lane Devers, Interlochen, Mich.
Interlochen Arts Academy, Dr. Brittany Cavallaro, teacher - Andrea Dispo, Lido Beach, N.Y.
Long Beach High School, Rachell Koegel, teacher - Nicole Eisenberg, Allendale, N.J.
Northern Highlands Regional High School, Svea Barrett, teacher - Julie Griswold, Wilmington, Del.
The Tatnall School, Meb Carroll, teacher - Judith Landsberger, New Middletown, Ohio
Springfield Local High School, Christina Mullane, teacher - Brooke Mitchell, Elliottsburg, Pa.
West Perry High School, Lynne Reeder, teacher - Catherine Park, Hackensack, N.J.
Bergen County Academies, Richard Weems, teacher - Logan Shives, Dover, Pa.
Dover Area High School, Barbara Lomenzo, teacher - Maia Siegel, Interlochen, Mich.
Interlochen Arts Academy, Dr. Brittany Cavallaro, teacher - Esther Sun, Los Gatos, Calif.
Los Gatos High School, Kristen Austin, teacher - Matt Therres, Swansboro, N.C.
Swansboro High School, Elizabeth Hendrix, teacher - John Turner, Scotch Plains, N.J.
UCVTS Academy for Information Technology, Moriah Cohen, teacher - Katherine Vandermel, Hackensack, N.J.
Bergen County Academies, Richard Weems, teacher - Evelyn Zelmer, Newark, Ohio
Newark High School, Kim O'Dell, teacher
Grade 12
- Parsa Alinia, Norman, Okla.
Norman North High School, Brent Taylor, teacher - William An, Spring Hill, Fla.
F.W. Springstead High School, Kelly Ann D'Arcy, teacher - Sofia Angulo-Lopera, San Antonio, Texas
Alamo Heights High School, Eric Cruz, teacher - Roosevelt Castro-Henriquez, Philadelphia, Pa.
Kensington Health Sciences Academy, Sally O'Brien, teacher - Leo Cox, Lansdale, Pa.
North Penn High School, T.J. Gillespie, teacher - Kendra Gilbert, Florence, Ala.
Florence High School, John Jackson, teacher - Olivia Johnson, Interlochen, Mich.
Interlochen Arts Academy, Dr. Brittany Cavallaro, teacher - Lara Katz, Weston, Conn.
Pierrepont School, Evan James, teacher - Jillian Laper-Dowling, Shoreham, N.Y.
Shoreham-Wading River High School, Jennifer Nazer, teacher - Emily Limpert, Bethlehem, Pa.
Lehigh Valley Charter High School for The Arts, Christopher Anthony, teacher - Rio Matsumoto, Hackensack, N.J.
Bergen County Academies, Richard Weems, teacher - Gabi McGilloway, Allendale, N.J.
Northern Highlands Regional High School, Svea Barrett, teacher - Carly Noble, Summit, N.J.
Summit High School - Elizabeth Shorkey, Interlochen, Mich.
Interlochen Arts Academy, Dr. Brittany Cavallaro, teacher - Falon Smith, Littleton, N.H.
Littleton High School, Jennifer Carbonneau, teacher - Summer Stehler, Akron, Ohio
Coventry High School, Mark Jamison, teacher - Priyanka Voruganti, Interlochen, Mich.
Interlochen Arts Academy, Dr. Brittany Cavallaro, teacher - Lydia Wei, Rockville, Md.
Richard Montgomery High School, Katherine Fliakas, teacher - Anna Xiao, Lido Beach, N.Y.
Long Beach High School, Rachell Koegel, 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.