Congratulations to Silas Wood sixth-graders Abigail Kaloo, Jack Tripoli, and Hayli Wuss on participating in NYCFC and City in the Community’s Poetry Contest! The sixth-grade writers created inspiring and powerful pieces that granted them finalist titles in the last round of the writing competition. Our Silas Wood finalists were invited to read their entries at NYCFC’s virtual event in February, and Abigail Kaloo was chosen as the contest winner!
"I am incredibly impressed, and of course extremely proud, of the insight and compassion these students conveyed in their pieces,” proudly shared Silas Wood Principal, Mr. Toto. “Clearly, each of them expressed, through their words, their own deep and mature emotions while also showing their care for their fellow students, not to mention for humanity in general."
The contest directives were inspired by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and asked students to either create a speech or quote of what they would say to the world on their first day as President or write a call to action for their community while thinking about something that is important to them and their community as a whole. Each student chose their own topics to write about, giving them free rein of expression of what is relevant to them and their community. Finalist Jack Tripoli chose to write about inequality and saw this contest as an opportunity for writers to “express feelings and put it out into the world.” Our students did just that! Hayli Wuss wrote her piece on depression, a topic that is often difficult to talk about. Hayli shared “I think we need to teach the younger generations and younger people of tomorrow that there were hardships and bumps in the road over the years and we need to show them what it was like.”
Poem contest winner Abigail Kaloo shared her thoughts on participating in this event. “I think it’s important to be able to express yourself the way you want to express yourself, especially through poetry or with something people can read,” shared Abigail who was inspired by some of the troubles occurring in the world today. “Writing can spread the word about issues that need to be addressed.” Abigail will be the recipient of a prize pack and a First Team Player will recite her poem to be featured in an NYCFC Content piece. We are so proud of Abigail, Jack, and Hayli for participating in this contest with their thoughtfulness and impressive depth. Great work!