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The Fair Poet Center of Excellence was created in the fall of 2016. FHEVS English teachers have built into their classroom curriculum a year-round program for students in grades 6-12 to read, write and learn to love poetry. This program was created under the leadership of Fairport Harding English Teachers, Sandra Knight and Susan Tenon and sponsorship of Hank Werronen, Class of 1961. The first fall poetry contest attracted 180 poems on the theme of nature from students in grades 6-12 at Harding High School. An independent community panel selected a group of finalists for junior high and senior high. Students then voted for their favorite poems without any identification of the poets. The finalists read their poems at a school-wide assembly for their peers.
Based on the tremendous response of the students and faculty, the teachers at Fairport Harding High School continued to encourage the writing and reading of poetry in their classrooms and launched the 2017 Fair Poet Spring Contest on the theme of strength. This time we attracted 200 poems, with a set of very high-quality finalists presented in an assembly in May 2017. During the 2017-2018 school year, we held two more contests. In the Fall of 2017, the theme was technology. In the Spring of 2018, the English department held another contest at Harding. The theme was patience. In the Spring of 2019, the theme was time. You can read all of the poems in the PDF downloads below. We hope you enjoy the videos, many of which were created in partnership with Auburn Career Center Instructional Media and Technology students.
In the Spring of 2019-2020 school year, the Covid-19 World Pandemic struck, and in March all school buildings were closed and students did school work from home. Thanks to Sandra Knight the Fair Poet Contest was held through technology. The theme was empathy.
In the 2020-2021 school year, we were recovering from the Covid-19 World Pandemic, and the Fall Fairpoet contest was canceled. However, in the Spring the Fair Poet Contest was revived and the theme was Be The Light.
For the 2021-2022 school year, we held the Fair Poet Spring Contest in May. The theme of this year's contest, sponsored by Fairport Alumni Hank Werronen is Space and Exploration.
For 2022-2023 school year we held the Fair Poet Spring Contest in March. The theme of this year's contest, sponsored by Fairport Alumni Hank Werronen is Then, Now Or Future.
2022-2023 Spring Fair Poet -Then, Now Or Future
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2022-2023 Spring Fair PoetTheme: “Then, Now, Or Future”
Congratulations to the 2023 Fair Poet Finalists and winners of the Fair Poet Spring poetry contest. This is our seventh annual poetry contest. Over 100 poems were submitted, grades 6-12. All finalists did a wonderful job presenting their poems on May 19th during a school-wide assembly.
Middle School Fair Poet Finalists - grades 6-8Anthony Sullivan - 1st place - $100Nicholas Merson - 2nd place - $50Nathan Werner - 3rd place - $25Cristian Mendoza - 4th placeOlivia Fiebig - 5th placeHigh School Fair Poet Finalists:Parker Malkamaki - 1st place - $175Maverrick Piotrowski - 2nd place - $100Gaia Catalano - 3rd place - $50Catie McBride - 4th placeHannah McCauley - 5th placeFair Poet sponsor and FHS Alum Hank Werronen also presented four honorable mention awards to the following students:Brooklyn Butchino - 7th grade - $50Izzy Wood - 10th grade - $50Angela Fornes - 11th grade - $50Charlie Holbrooks - 11th grade - $50A big Skipper Thank you to Diesel Cueni and Charlie Holbrooks for hosting the assembly.We would like to thank our Fair Poet committee, judges, teachers, secretaries, and our sound, light and video crew for making this program successful.Congrats again to all the Fair Poet Finalists.Fair Poet Contest Rules & Guidelines
Theme: “Then, Now, Or Future”
Reflect on this theme while writing your poem.
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Any student attending Fairport Harding Junior/High School in grades 6-12 is eligible to submit a poem.
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All artwork must be on the same page as the poem. All artwork must be original (no tracing).
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All poems and/or artwork must be on an 8 1/2 x 11 piece of paper.
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Every poem must have a student ID number in the upper left-hand corner of the document. Please do not insert the ID number in the header.
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All poems must be accompanied by a completed entry form.
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All poems must have a title.
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One poem per student.
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Entries must not have been previously published or submitted anywhere else (including blogs, social media or a prior class assignment). Any entry not following these guidelines will be withdrawn from the competition.
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All final decisions are left up to the Fair Poet committee.
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In order to claim their cash prize, winners must read their poems at the Fair Poet Awards Ceremony.
Grades 6-8
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First place winner will receive $100
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Second place will receive $50
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Third place will receive $25
Grades 9-12
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First place winner will receive $175
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Second place will receive $100
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Third place will receive $50
Fair Poet Contest deadline is March 17, 2023 at 3:00 pm.
Entries must be submitted to an English teacher with a cover sheet. You do not need to be enrolled in an English class to participate.
https://docs.google.com/
document/d/ 1t3FRIZNHMvSlmzgHwLzzPu13k0xkH 9vO3i-HseLqOCA/edit -
2021-2022 Spring Fair Poet Contest
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The Fair Poet Spring Assembly is tomorrow, Friday, May 20. Over 100 poems were submitted and the winners were selected by a committee of readers and judges. The theme of this year's contest sponsored by Fairport Alumni Hank Werronen is Space and Exploration. The finalists are all here practicing and the student host this year is FHS Junior Adara Tharp.Fair Poet Finalists in Alphabetical order:Middle School:Finn McCormickAnthony SullivanArielle WillisHigh School:BreAnna BruceCharlie HolbrooksAudrey HellerHannah McCauleyCheyenne StafinskiThis will be a lovely assembly celebrating the brilliant poets and writers we have in Fairport. Well done poets!
Today's 6th Annual Fair Poet Assembly was a beautiful display of poetry!
This year's theme was space and exploration. Well done by each and every finalist!
2022 Fair Poet Middle School winners:Finn McCormick - 1st placeAnthony Sullivan - 2nd placeArielle Willis - 3rd place2022 Fair Poet High School winners:Charlie Holbrooks - 1st placeHannah McCauley - 2nd placeCheyenne Stafinski - 3rd placeBreAnna Bruce - 4th placeAudrey Heller - 5th place2022 Honorable Mentions:Kaydence Wiley - MSEverett Howard - HSThank you to our Fair Poet Alumni Sponsor Hank Werronen and to the entire Fair Poet Committee and Harding High School English Department.Thank you to our student host - FHS Junior Adara Tharp!Thank you to our sound, lighting, film and photo crew: Mr. Ruzin, Kelsey Murphy, Miles Merchak, and Madisen McFadden - official photos and video will be shared at a later date.Congrats again to our 2022 Fair Poet Winners today!WINNERS!!!!!High School (below from left to right)Charlie Holbrooks - 1st placeHannah McCauley- 2nd placeCheyenne Stafinski- 3rd placeMiddle School (below right to left )Finn McCormick - 1st placeAnthony Sullivan- 2nd placeArielle Willis- 3rd placeThank you to all the finalists!Arielle Willis, Anthony Sullivan, Maili Finn McCormick, BreAnna Bruce, Audrey Heller, Charlie Holbrooks, Hannah McCauley, Cheyenne Stafinski
2020-2021 Spring Fair Poet
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Theme: “Be the Light”
Winners:
Grades 6-8
- First place winner will receive $100- Nevaeah Reyes
- Second place will receive $50-Kaydence Wiley
- Third place will receive $25-Mikayla Lesiak
Grades 9-12
- First place winner will receive $175-Jordan Eitutis
- Second place will receive $100-Morgan Braemer
- Third place will receive $50-Maya Hess
Click here to see Fair Poet "A Celebration of Writers" program
Grades 6-8 Fair Poet Finalists
Hunter Chapdelaine
Shyli Gibney
Mikayla Lesiak
Nevaeh Reyes
Kaydence Wiley
Izabella Wood
High School: (IN ABC ORDER!)
Grades 9-12 Fair Poet Finalists
Morgan BraemerJordan EitutisMaya HessJoe JustingerKara McFaddenLydia NyeCongratulations to the following Semi-Finalists for the Spring 2021 Fair Poet Contest. The poems have been sent on to the judges for final scoring. The assembly will be tentatively held on Friday, May 14. All finalists must be present to read their poems at the assembly. We would like to congratulate everyone who took part in the contest this year. Though you may not be a semi-finalist, we are proud of the poets who submitted their work for consideration. Over 100 poems were submitted. Our 2021 Fair Poet Finalists will be announced the week of May 3.
Middle School Fair Poet Semi-Finalists (In alphabetical order)
Charlie Beardslee
Hunter Chapdelaine
Lilian Elmore
Shyli Gibney
Toby Gill
Mikayla Lesiak
Nevaeh Reyes
Kaydence Wiley
Izabella Wood
High School Fair Poet Semi-Finalists (In alphabetical order)
Halle Beesler
Morgan Braemer
Jordan Eitutis
Maya Hess
Charlie Holbrooks
Joe Justinger
Kara McFadden
Lydia Nye
Katelyn Osborne
Adara Tharp
2019-2020 Virtual Fair Poet Contest Videos
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Previous Fair Poet Winners
- 2016 FALL FAIR POET WINNERS (Theme: Nature)
- 2017 SPRING FAIR POET WINNERS (Theme: Strength)
- 2017 FALL FAIR POET WINNERS (Theme: Technology)
- 2018 SPRING FAIR POET WINNERS (Theme: Patience)
- 2019 SPRING FAIR POET WINNERS (Theme: Time)
- 2020 Spring Fair Poet Contest Rules and Deadline - March 10, 2020 (Theme: Empathy)
A Celebration of Writers Spring 2019 Program May 2019
Grades 6-8 Fair Poet Finalists
- Bailey Davis The Time
- Audrey Heller Small Seeds
- Charlie Holbrooks Stuck in the Eye of Time
- Andrea McKinney Time
- Azlyn Nelson This Hole of Mine
- Summerlyn Slavkovsky Time
Grades 9-12 Fair Poet Finalists
- Shyan Apple Six Years
- Maya Hess The Space of Time
- Joey McFarland Popcorn Journey
- Alyssa Smith The Clock is Ticking
- Rylen Whitaker If I Shine
- Halona White Time is Heartache
(Video Credit: Auburn Career Center Instructional Media Technology Program)2016 FAIR POET WINNERS <-- Download all the Fall poems here.Grades 6-8 Fair Poet Finalists - Fall 2016- Aaron Gebeau “I am a Bear” - 1st place
- Taylor Sanborn “Smooth Waves” - 2nd place
- Jaidin Knipp “I Will” - 3rd place
- Kaylynn Clasing “Grateful, Both Day and Night”
- Maarika Haller “A Walk Through a Nice Forest”
- Hayley Jarvis “When Seasons Change”
Grades 9-12 Fair Poet Finalists - Fall 2016- Gabby Palmer “The Flower Upon My Windowsill” - 1st place
- Alyssa Smith “Differences” - 2nd place
- Marcus Toreki “Handover” - 3rd place
- Evan Bish “Humanity is Failing”
- Olivia Hulett “The Change of Seasons”
- Brenna Starkey “Beautiful Monster”
2017 FAIR POET WINNERS <-- Download all the Spring poems here.Grades 6-8 Fair Poet Finalists - Spring 2017- Morgan Braemer “Just One Smile” - 1st place
- Maya Hess “If I were” - 2nd place
- Jennifer Soria “Strength” - 3rd place
- Zoe Ferris “Real Strength” - Runner Up
- Caleb Jones “Strength is smarts” - Runner Up
Grades 9-12 Fair Poet Finalists - Spring 2017- Rashawn Alston "Rising Above the Dark" - 1st place
- Lydia Shaw "Resilience" - 2nd place
- Ashlynn Craft "Be a Man" - 3rd place
- Liz Olvera "I See Strength Everyday" - Runner Up
Watch our 2017 Fair Poet Spring Finalists read their winning poems! (And also the VFW Art winners were presented with their awards!)
(Video Credit: Nathan Urban, Fairport Harding High School Student)
Listen below to learn more about how Fairport Mayor Manross declared Fair Poet Day - May 5, 2017
(Video Credit: Nathan Urban, Fairport Harding High School Student)
Congratulations to our 2017 Fall Fair Poet Winners
2017 Fall Fair Poet Winners <-- Download all the Fall poems here.
Grades 6-8 Fair Poet Finalists (Left to Right) (Top Picture)
- Morgan Braemer - Grade 8 “Lost”
- Samantha Yowell - Grade 7 “The Beauty of Technology”
- Samantha Collins - Grade 8 “Mask of Lies”
- Owen Meacham - Grade 7 “Cassini”
- Mia King - Grade 7 “Record and Watch”
Grades 9-12 Fair Poet Finalists (Left to Right) (Bottom Picture)
- Jesus Chavez - Grade 12 “Mi Poesia!”
- Victoria Palmer - Grade 11 “Dystopia”
- Angie Gutekunst - Grade 11 “Technology (Click, Click, Click)”
- Breanna Cremeans - Grade 10 “Technology (It’s Popular)”
- Rylie Erb - Grade 10 “Why me?”
In the Fall of 2016, the students here at Fairport created something truly wonderful. From an idea that started in a classroom, to a spark of interest from an alum, culminating in the flames of creativity that were fanned by the promise of recognition and prizes, we created a society of poets here at Fairport Harding. Strength and nature were the topics that bred ingenuity within the minds of our young writers, creating heaps of rough drafts as they sought to better their craft. In the fall of 2017, students were challenged to create another winning poem by looking at something the modern world takes so for granted: technology.
The Fair Poet Contest may have only started with the aim of creating poetry, but in the fall of 2017, we celebrated having made the contest part of our identity at Fairport Harding. Seventh graders are learning the foundational elements of Shakespearean Sonnets. High schoolers are studying poetic movements whose names are longer than most tweets on Twitter. Students are learning the foundational elements of poetry in the classroom, and using those skills they are turning Fairport Harding into an educational facility where we may have the next Langston Hughes, Robert Frost, or the next Maya Angelou in our midst.
Over 215 poems were submitted for the 2017 Fall Fair Poet Contest, Grades 6-12, at Fairport Harding High School. The Fair Poet Committee would like to thank the following for their support of this annual Fairport Harding High School Program:
- Fair Poet Contest Sponsor: Hank Werronen, Class of 1961
- Fair Poet Contest Readers: Ms. Wessels, Mr. Colbert, and Mrs. Rumbarger
- Fair Poet Contest Judges: Mr. Dustin Doversberger, Mrs. Brenna Ruff, Dr. Nicholas P. Tatonetti
- Fair Poet Judge Coordinator: Cathy Norman
- Board Office Secretaries: Cindi Clair and Natalie Rock
- Program and Certificates: Mrs. Prosser & Ms. Murphey
- Sound, Lights, Video: Mr. Rodney Kozar and Instructional Media Technology Students at Auburn Career Center
- Teachers and Staff of Harding High School
- Fairport Academic Boosters
- Fairport Harbor Exempted Village Schools Professional Learning Community
And now, the 2017 Fair Poet Fall Contest winners:
High School - Grades 9-12
- 1st Place - Rylie Erb
- 2nd Place - Victoria Palmer
- 3rd Place - Breanna Cremeans
Middle School - Grades 6-8
- 1st Place - Owen Meacham
- 2nd Place - Samantha Collins
- 3rd Place - Samantha Yowell
Pictured above 1st place winners for High School and Middle School: Rylie Erb (left) and Owen Meacham (right)
To read all of the poems and biographies by the 2017 Fall Fair Poet Finalists, please click here.
Watch the student perform their winning poems at the Dec. 15, 2017 Fair Poet Assembly!
(Video Credit: Auburn Career Center Instructional Media Technology Program)
A Celebration of Distinguished Writers - May 5, 2018
Grades 6-8 Fair Poet Finalists - Top Picture: Ryan Chipps, Hank Werronen, Owen Meacham, Lex Patrick, Lewin Uhlir, Rachel Shaw
Grades 9-12 Fair Poet Finalists - Bottom Picture: Jay Alston, Hank Werronen, Logan Barnum, Hailey Radar, Kayla Sharpe, Lydia Shaw
2018 FAIR POET WINNERS <-- Download all the Spring poems here.
Spring 2018 Fair Poet HIGH SCHOOL WINNERS:
- Third Place: High School - Lydia Shaw - $50
- Second Place: High School - Hailey Radar - $100
- First Place: High School - Gabby Palmer - $175
Spring 2018 Fair Poet MIDDLE SCHOOL WINNERS:
- Third Place: Middle School - Rachel Shaw - $25
- Second Place: Middle School - Lex Patrick - $50
- First Place: Middle School - Owen Meacham - $100
Spring 2018 Fair Poet Runner Ups for High School:
- JAY ALSTON
- LOGAN BARNUM
- KAYLA SHARPE
Spring 2018 Fair Poet Runner Ups for Middle School:
- RYAN CHIPPS
- LEWIN UHLIR
Spring 2018 Fair Poet Honorable Mentions:
- Morgan Braemer - Middle School - Poetry and Art Excellence Award - $50 of Art Supplies
- Zoe Ferris - High School - $50
- Delaney Sherwood - Middle School - $50
- Adara Tharp - Middle School - $50
THANK YOU:
- Fair Poet Contest Sponsor: Hank Werronen, Class of 1961
- Fair Poet Contest Readers: Mr. Colbert, Mr. Cardina, Mr. Luster
- Fair Poet Contest Judges: Joe Fath, Meghan Carlson, Sarah Toivonen
- Fair Poet Judge Coordinator: Cathy Norman
- VFW Art Contest Sponsors: Janet Merrick, Steve Kalal, Dan Sherwood
- Board Office Secretaries: Cindi Clair and Natalie Rock
- Program and Certificates: Mrs. Prosser & Ms. Murphey
- Sound, Lights, Video: Mr. Rodney Kozar, Instructional Media Technology Students at Auburn Career Center, Mr. Ruzin and Breanna Cremeans
- Teachers and Staff of Harding High School
- Fairport Academic Boosters
As always, we appreciate the support of the Fairport Harbor Exempted Village Schools Professional Learning Community.