Dayanara Torres with Mr. Nick Tucci (Principal of the McGlynn Middle School) and Dr. Nicole Chiesa (Director of Humanities in the MPS)
Congratulations to McGlynn Middle School 8th grade student, Dayanara Torres, for winning the “Silver Key” Scholastic Award for Poetry which recognizes stand out works that demonstrate exceptional ability.
Dayanara wrote a poem in 8th grade McGlynn Middle School teacher Mrs. Kristin Zeckman’s class titled “An Original Poem, The Rare Flower.”
Each year, the Alliance partners with more than 100 visual arts and literary arts organizations across the country to bring the Scholastic Awards to local communities. Teens in grades 7–12 (ages 13 and up) apply in 29 categories of art and writing. In 2019, students submitted nearly 340,000 works of art and writing to the Scholastic Awards.
Submissions are juried by luminaries in the visual and literary arts, some of whom are past award recipients. Panelists look for works that best exemplify originality, technical skill, and the emergence of a personal voice or vision.
Dayanra Torres was the only middle school student in the Medford Public Schools to receive this recognition. Below is the poem that she wrote that earned her the “Silver Key.”
An Original Poem, The Rare Flower
Having the life of a rare flower
Being the wearer of all the petals nature has given us
The two unfamiliar species that not even half the world knows
Hiding in plain sight, becoming a mystery of us living
As we were made bright and different
Soft and fragile, silent and with a unique fragrance
Having royalty in our background and knowing we are gorgeous and beautiful
Who is, what is Youtan Poluo?
Dayanara was presented with a certificate of recognition by the Medford School Committee for her achievement on March 6, 2019.