Six student poets have been honored at the 2021 Connecticut Scholastic Writing competition, including senior McKenna Rook, who won a Gold Key for the second year in a row. McKenna’s poems will now go on to compete for recognition at the national level.

“I am gratified by how many of our students were recognized this year,” said English instructor Tom Juvan, who teaches “The Craft of Poetry” elective. It is the second year in a row that six Westover students were honored for their poetry in the annual competition, which is offered through the Connecticut Writing Project at the University of Connecticut.

“It is a testimony to the care and craft that our students devote to shaping and revising their work,” Tom said. “I also want to applaud the real variety of voices and styles reflected in the student poems this year. We have some very adventurous young poets who are willing to play with words and experiment with language.”

In this year’s competition, McKenna submitted three of her poems — “Mums,” “Lakeside,” and “For Fun.” In 2020, she received a Gold Key for her poem, “The Golden Hour.” She was a Poetry Editor for the 2020 edition of The Lantern, the School’s art and poetry magazine, and this year will serve as both a Poetry Editor and an Art Editor for the 2021 issue.

Two students — senior Madeline Abate and junior Lydia Clark — were awarded Silver Keys in this year’s competition, Madeline for her poem “Atlas,” and Lydia for two poems, “On the Back Roads” and “Death’s Daughter.”

Three students — senior Grace Brown, junior Kiana Tan, and sophomore Lexi Mays — received Honorable Mention for their entries in this year’s writing contest. Grace, who had also won a Silver Key in the 2020 competition, submitted three poems — “To End Your Ruthless Wintering.” “County Meath, Ireland,” and “Gardening at Night” — while Kiana entered her poem, “Recalled to Prayer,” and Lexi her poem, “The Birth of Venus.”

Grace was a Poetry Editor for the 2020 Lantern and is Poetry Editor in Chief for the 2021 edition; Lydia and Lexi are Poetry Editors for the 2021 issue.