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Ireland
Business Partnerships
Grade Nine Poetry Contest
The poetry contest was met
with resounding success! We received over 130 entries
and are very excited to announce the First, Second and Third
place winners. The poems were judged by Irish Poet,
Tom Henihan.
First Place
Maria Foley
Fogo Island Central Academy
Tilting, NL
Title of Poem:
Connections
Second Place
Lucia Westin
St. Bonaventure's College
St. John's, NL
Title of Poem:
Connected by
the Great Divide
Third Place
Mary McLevey
St. Bonaventure's College
St. John's, NL
Title of Poem:
Two Lands,
One Ocean
No photo available
Prizes
Prizes were awarded as follows:
First
Prize: 30GB
Video iPod valued at approximately $400
Second Prize:
Digital camera valued at approximately $300
Third Prize:
$200 Future Shop gift certificate
In
addition to these prizes, a package of Newfoundland
literature worth $150 went to the schools of the winning
students for their library.
General Information
The purpose of this competition is to educate
Grade Nine students on the connection between Ireland and
Newfoundland, especially the culture and lifestyle
similarities. This competition adds to the cultural
heritage component of the school curriculum. Students will
also learn about the emigration to Newfoundland from ports
in the Southeast of Ireland while at the same time exploring
poetry as a form of creative expression.
A poetry
competition for Grade Nine students helps to fulfill the
Ireland Business Partnership’s education strategy of
catalyzing and nurturing a programme of co-operation between
the Second Level sectors in Ireland and in Newfoundland and
Labrador.
Background
The
Ireland Newfoundland Partnership in Ireland held an art
competition in February – March of 2005. This competition
was open to students in grades four, five and six in the
counties of Waterford and Wexford. There were over 500
entries and going from that, the competition was a success
in educating children about Newfoundland and Labrador and
its similarities to Irish life. Due to previous success, the
Ireland Newfoundland Partnership has developed a poetry
competition following a similar format to the art
competition held last year with Junior High school
students.
Theme
Ireland and Newfoundland are islands on the edge of great
continents. The Atlantic Ocean both separates and connects
these islands. There is approximately 2000 miles of ocean
between Ireland and Newfoundland but the water touches the
coast of both, and certainly has a story to tell; of the
people who have sailed on it or the shores it has seen.
Students
composed a piece of poetry on the influence the Atlantic
Ocean has on the existence, culture, and the lives of people
in Newfoundland and Ireland, either past, present, or future
or a combination of these.
Judging
Tom Henihan was
selected from the Writers Alliance of
Newfoundland & Labrador. The judging was blind as only the
title of the piece appeared on the submission in addition to
an allocated number.
Submissions were judged on the following
criteria:
-
Knowledge: the
student’s knowledge of the theme and accuracy of the
details used.
-
Creativity: the student
has demonstrated imagination in their poetry.
-
Writing ability: the
student has displayed an ability to write poetry and makes
good use of themes and structure.
Contact Information and Feedback
If you have any questions regarding this contest, please
contact us. Teachers, parents and students are encouraged to
contact the Ireland Business Partnerships with any
suggestions for future contests and/or feedback regarding
this competition.
E-mail: ibp@gov.nl.ca
Phone: (709) 729-1684
Fax: (709) 729-7234
Mail: Ireland Business Partnerships
c/o Dept. of Innovation, Trade
and Rural Development
2nd Floor, West Block,
Confederation Bldg.
P.O. Box 8700, St. John's, NL
Canada A1B 4J6
Last updated: September 9, 2008 |
