On Nov. 20, the Sewanhaka Central High School District proudly hosted its inaugural districtwide poet laureate event, uniting one student representative from each school building for a day dedicated to creativity, community and the power of the written word.
Each school nominated a student with a demonstrated passion for poetry. Interested students submitted a portfolio of their work, along with a recommendation letter from either a chairperson or club adviser. Those selected as this year’s poet laureates are Elmont Memorial High School senior Videsh Muneshwar, Floral Park Memorial High School senior Giuliana DePaola, H. Frank Carey High School senior Anne Guadiosi, New Hyde Park Memorial High School senior Angela Vlavianos and Sewanhaka High School senior Manahil Asif.
The workshop, led by New Hyde Park Memorial High School Chairperson of English Dr. Graham Otton, invited students to explore a series of guided writing prompts and engage in thoughtful poetry discussions. They also worked together to envision future districtwide literary initiatives aimed at strengthening connections among young writers across all five schools.
“It was so much fun getting to meet and work with people who share the same passions as me, and I think we were able to come up with some really cool ideas to implement in the district,” Giuliana said. “We really pushed ourselves creatively during the workshop by trying new things with different kinds of poems and writing styles, and I'm looking forward to continuing our collaboration to hopefully share that with more students!”
Angela added, “The workshop in general was a huge success, as the other poet laureates and I were able to discuss and further our initiative of expanding the love of poetry throughout our school district. I believe we can really have a great success with this project and I am excited to see the result!”
Dr. Otton also noted that the first workshop was a success and that the five students became fast friends throughout the day. “I'm excited to continue working on district initiatives with Videsh, Giuliana, Annie, Angela, Manahil and my dear colleagues, the Sewanhaka District English chairs, to build opportunities for connecting through reading and writing poetry.”
The district plans to select five poet laureates each year, ensuring this poetry collaboration across buildings continues.
Click here to view the full graphics for the Poet Laureates for each school.
