Two students were recognized for their tribute poems in the Walt Whitman Birthplace Student Poetry Contest during an awards ceremony at the Walt Whitman Birthplace on June 3, Whitman’s 199th birthday. Lynbrook North Middle School seventh-grader Catie Wren and Lynbrook High School junior Benjamin Gagliardo were among 70 winners out of approximately 2,500 student submissions from grades 3-12.

Students were required to write a poem using Whitman’s theme. Wren, with the guidance of her teacher Alanna Schaffer won in category C for her poem “’No,’ Said She,” while Gagliardo with the guidance of his teacher Carla Gentile, won in category E for his poem “An Ode to the F Major 7 Chord.” 

 Congratulations to both students on a job well done!