Student Spotlight Stories - Young Writers Competition winners

(Middlefield, OH) - Great American poet, Emily Dickinson once stated, “I know nothing in the world that has as much power as a word,” and as Maureen Fowler enters her 18th year at Cardinal Jr./Sr. High School as an English teacher, she has instilled in her students that words have power and meaning. 

Back in March of 2024, students 10-18 years old of age could participate in a poetry contest generated through Young Writers - a program that creates opportunities and contests for students to compete and earn awards for inspiring writers. In this most recent competition, students had the ability to write about what they care about and what brings them joy. The students could write about challenging world issues such as climate crisis, equal rights, or perhaps more personal things in their lives that have brought them positivity or inspiration to them. 

Students could enter this contest for free and could earn an opportunity to have their work published in a real book. They had a wide selection of topics to choose from and by doing so, this could help improve the students’ writing skills and their confidence as young writers. Those selected students can win a $50.00 gift card to shop at Amazon.com.

The school district that enters the best pieces of writing also receives a trophy and a copy of the book in which the students work is published. 

When Mrs. Fowler gave the opportunity to several of her creative writing students; she was eager to find that three of them won the Power of Poetry contest. 

Izabella Ciminello, a senior at Cardinal Jr./Sr. High School is a student who enjoys writing during the school day and gymnastics at night. She chose to write about the inspiration people have on the world.

“My inspiration for this poem was people destroying the world without thinking twice about how it is truly affecting it,” she said.

However, Ciminello had to work hard at writing just what she wanted to say and how to get her point across. 

“I had to choose a topic that I felt my poem would have a bigger impact on,” said Ciminello. “I also had to pick what style of poem I wanted mine to be. I don't remember how many drafts I had to write but I do remember having to think of important details that I could include that would make people think about how much the world is being destroyed.”

When she heard the news that her poem would be published, she didn’t believe it at first. English, a subject she feels she struggles with, gave her a chance to communicate with others about concerns that she had as a young adult. 

“When I entered my poem in this contest, I didn't really think mine would be picked but it feels good to be recognized for one of my writings, especially because I feel writing is something I struggle with,” said Ciminello.

Perhaps writing about the destruction people are doing to the world, Ciminello thoroughly enjoys writing non-fiction because she likes learning new information and actual people and events that are happening in the current world.

Junior Baylee Lewandowski is currently a junior and has participated in sideline cheerleading. Things were much different for Lewandowski and her writing process. 

“The application process was really easy for me,” said Lewandowski. “I only wrote one draft, and then when I decided to send it in, I just wrote it out on paper.” 

The junior likes creating content that involves mystery and horror or thriller. Something that gets her readers hooked! Her inspiration came from personal experiences of arguments and the effect that they play on people. 

“What inspired me to write the poem was thinking about arguments that I’ve seen or heard,or the things people do to someone they may call a friend and how it can affect or hurt them,” said Lewandowski. 

Lastly, junior Trinity Wojtasik enjoys taking Fine Arts classes. Whether that’s band or an art class where she gets to display her drawings or paintings, Trinity loves being able to use her imagination. She serves as a section leader for the clarinets in the marching band where she displays her leadership skill. 

That’s where she provides her best writing skills.

“My favorite part about writing is the freedom I have to express any emotion without worrying about people knowing it's from me,” said Wojtasik. 

Much like most writers, Trinity’s talents came with a lot of drafts and redirection. As writers you have to be willing to make mistakes, and learn from them. Being open to constructive criticism from your peers and mentors is also important. 

“I had originally gone through multiple drafts to get something that sounded just right for a poem,” said Wojtasik. Even after they asked to publish my poem, I still had a few things I needed to change up. I wish I could say it was easy but, truthfully, it was difficult to get everything together and sound the right way.”

She was proud to write about her own personal beliefs and overcoming her struggles in life, and how she has overcome them.

“Writing the poem I did was of course a struggle. Though I did write most of my poem about the struggles in my life,” said Wojtasik. “ I wanted to express myself in my poem and show a part of who I was. I had also listened to many other poems and found ways to interpret other ways of writing into my piece.” 

The students thoroughly enjoyed working alongside Mrs. Fowler and they appreciated her time with feedback and valued her opinions. 

"She helped by giving me examples when I couldn't think of anything. She also helped me by fixing any mistakes that I made,” said Ciminello. 

“Working with Mrs. Fowler was a great experience, " said Wojtasik. “She had taught me multiple things that I didn't know. She continues to teach me new things today, and moving forward and I'm sure I will learn more with her. Mrs. Fowler's suggestions and belief in me that my writing was good and gave me faith to keep going forward.”

“Winning this award and being recognized in the book means a lot to me,” said Lewandowski. “It means my words matter and can make a difference. It also makes me proud of myself knowing that I wrote something good.”