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The student voice of Sycamore High School in Cincinnati, Ohio

The Leaf

The student voice of Sycamore High School in Cincinnati, Ohio

The Leaf

The student voice of Sycamore High School in Cincinnati, Ohio

The Leaf

Students conclude a new March Madness

When people hear the term March Madness, they associate it with the popular NCAA men’s basketball tournament. Brackets are filled out by thousands, as fans compete to pick the top teams in college basketball.

Reading the poems entered in the March Madness Poetry contest, Mr. Reardon’s fourth bell class has spent the past week voting for their favorite poems. Reardon even created a  life-size bracket displaying the advancing poems on the walls. There are only two more rounds of voting left until a champion is declared. Photo by Lauren Saxon.
Reading the poems entered in the March Madness Poetry contest, Mr. Reardon’s fourth bell class has spent the past week voting for their favorite poems. Reardon even created a life-size bracket displaying the advancing poems on the walls. There are only two more rounds of voting left until a champion is declared. Photo by Lauren Saxon.

However, accelerated English students have their own type of March Madness at this point of the year. They too, will be filling out brackets, but rather than picking top basketball teams, the kids will be picking poems written by their peers.

“I love doing this every year because it’s a celebration of poetry and the poetry writing my students get to do,” said Mr. Breen Reardon, English teacher.

For a third quarter assignment, each student was asked to write one poem, on any topic of their choice. Rather than just collecting the poems for a grade, English teachers have made a tournament out of it.

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“In English accelerated 11, we very often focus on analysis, so it’s fun to switch gears and try our hand at the creation of poetry,” said Reardon.

Rhyming, concrete poems, and even haikus have been entered in the competition. Unfortunately, not all the poems turned in made the cut, as only 64 poems were entered in the bracket.

“I think it’s a really cool opportunity and a fun competition,” said Samantha Ciricillo, 11. “I wished we had talked more about poetry before we had entered our submissions.”

Two poems will be read in a class and the poem with the most votes will continue on in the bracket. Even some teachers submit their writing in the contest.

“One year I will win March madness poetry,” said Reardon.

The Accelerated English classes are currently on the final round of voting, and are selecting the top poem written by their peer.

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About the Contributor
Lauren Saxon, Print Editor-In-Chief
I’m a senior at SHS. This year, I’ll be working as The Leaf magazine’s editor-in-chief. After four years on staff, I have learned a tremendous amount about writing, design and leadership. Some of my interests include sports, Spanish language and culture and reading. My iPhone is full of songs by Drake, Beyoncé and Ed Sheeran, and my room also doubles as my own library stacked with books written by Sharon Draper, Maya Angelou and Ernest Hemingway. I play Girls Varsity Basketball for my school, and I am a die-hard Philadelphia Eagles fan. Journalism has always been my favorite class, and although I plan on studying engineering in college, I hope to continue my passion for writing and designing after my time here at SHS. Reflecting on my high school career, joining journalism was the best decision I have ever made. During my last year on staff, I am excited to continue to serve as the voice of the student body and will cherish all the knowledge and friendships I gained from Journalism (Convergence).
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Students conclude a new March Madness