Annual Brooks Poetry Prize Competition
Nine Winsor students from Classes IV and V demonstrated their public speaking skills in the annual Brooks Poetry Prize competition during an all-school assembly on Wednesday, May 5 2021. The competition is a Winsor tradition that dates back to 1909.
In the preliminary rounds, held during English classes, every Class IV and Class V student chose a poem to recite. One student from each class section was chosen to compete in the final round and present their poem in front of the school at assembly. Readers are judged on their degree of thorough understanding, clear articulation, and appropriateness of choice. The guidelines encourage girls to “look for a poem to which you genuinely respond.”
The 2021 finalists included:
Class IV:
Paulina Gutierrez ’25: “Still I Rise” by Maya Angelou
Amber Lan ’25: “Caged Bird” by Maya Angelou
Nidhi Mallavarapu ’25:”Lucinda Matlock” by Edgar Lee Masters
Julia Chang-Holt ’25: “On Beauty” by Kahlil Gibran
Class V:
Stella MacLean ’24: “in love as in tourism” by Xiao Yue Shan
Sofia Grabriel Butler ’24: “The Current Isolationism” by Camille Rankine
Eva LaFond ’24: “Dead Stars” by Ada Limon
Paige Whalen ’24: “Thoughtless Cruelty” by Charles Lamb
Grace DeStefano ’24: “First Verse” by Tim Seibles
This year’s Class IV winner will be announced during the Class IV Lower School Closing Ceremony, and the Class V winner will be announced during the annual Awards Celebration.
