Catalina Foothills School District Poetry Pages Award-Winning Poetry from 2019-2020
Kindergarten: 1st Place
Raindrops
Raindrops, Raindrops Wet and cold
Raindrops, Raindrops Thunder, splash
Raindrops, Raindrops Plitter, plop
-Aria Hafner Teacher: Rawson
Catalina Foothills School District Poetry Pages Award-Winning Poetry from 2019-2020
Kindergarten: Honorable Mention
Sand
Sand is tiny rocks Sand angels and sand castles Dig, bury people
-Mia McNulty Teacher: Gibson
Catalina Foothills School District Poetry Pages Award-Winning Poetry from 2019-2020
1st Grade: 1st Place
Winter Poem
I see the snowy mountain. I hear wind howling its own song. I taste sweet hot chocolate. I feel fire warming my hands. I smell the fresh winter breeze.
- Reagan Ogden Teacher: Hyde
Catalina Foothills School District Poetry Pages Award-Winning Poetry from 2019-2020
1st Grade: Honorable Mention
How to Be a Rainbow
Let the rain water the dry Arizona desert. Then… let the sun shine and The clouds float away. Just wait a little bit and Then peek out. You are a RAINBOW! You will shine with All the colors: Red and orange, Yellow and green, Blue and purple, too! You will be beautiful And colorful Just like the world Down below you!
- Camilla Alfaro Teacher: Green
Catalina Foothills School District Poetry Pages Award-Winning Poetry from 2019-2020
2nd Grade: 1st Place
Blue
Blue is the sky, or a blueberry pie. Blue is sadness, when you first tell a lie. Blue is a shirt, of an ordinary guy. Blue is the mountains, way up high. Blue is the tears, When you just want to cry.
- Sully Cohn Teacher: Kraft
Catalina Foothills School District Poetry Pages Award-Winning Poetry from 2019-2020
2nd Grade: Honorable Mention
How to Be a Cactus
Wear a green suit. Stand still Out in the desert. Stand out in the pouring rain, And in the burning hot sun. Hold your arms up high, Hold them up to the sky. Be tough and spiky, But… make a cozy house for animals. The desert needs you. Be strong.
-Henry Swartz Teacher: Green
Catalina Foothills School District Poetry Pages Award-Winning Poetry from 2019-2020
3rd Grade: 1st Place
Rainbow Rain
Rainbow rain come again you are so beautiful and wet. You shimmer in the dark cloud and glow in the light. You are so bright that you show in the night.
We can see you high above and way down low. You know your colors are so true but when it gets dark you are a remark.
We splash in your rainbow waters and puddles. You are like bright stars in the night. You paint the ebony dark walls when you hit them to an even darker black. You float and then you fall.
You are like Angels in the sky. So wonderful and kind. I hope you don’t mind but I’d like to be your friend. Is that fine?
- Julie Moreno Teacher: Alexander
Catalina Foothills School District Poetry Pages Award-Winning Poetry from 2019-2020
3rd Grade: Honorable Mention
Fox’s Prey
Swift as the wind, Fast as running water, the fox runs. Its apricot coat is like a sunset as it leaps, pouncing on… emptiness, pure air. Its prey is bounding away, as if its fluffy tail is on fire. Then the fox spies something the rabbit has vanished into a black hole. Its head pops out, and the fox is on top of it in seconds. The rabbit’s end is here. The fox’s meal is a delicacy to it.
- Amelia Holmes Teacher: McGraugh
Catalina Foothills School District Poetry Pages Award-Winning Poetry from 2019-2020
4th Grade: 1st Place
Past of Sorrow
The wind whips around my face Singing the song of sorrow I wish your boat came back to shore So my sun would shine tomorrow
Now when I remember you my heart cracks in two I know your ship carried memories of times I had with you The stormy sea that took your ship and deathly blackened sky May turn bright and shine the way to another story and time
Across the dark sea and over mountains of green Tossing waves and sand so white Maybe if I hope, then happiness will come And I could sprout silver wings and fly to a land of light
- Zara Montevaldo-Wood Teacher: Fisher
Catalina Foothills School District Poetry Pages Award-Winning Poetry from 2019-2020
4th Grade: Honorable Mention
A Whisper
Believe in your dreams, listen to your imagination, and whisper your wish into still water.
- Stella Ausland Teacher: Moore
Catalina Foothills School District Poetry Pages Award-Winning Poetry from 2019-2020
5th Grade: 1st Place
Rain Drop
A drop of rain is like a sudden knock at the door; unexpected, yet often welcomed with a smile. It can brighten your day, or ruin your plans. It can make you laugh or make you cry. Whether a raindrop is moving fast or slow, or it is big or small, it always gets your attention. A raindrop con- tains many secrets; a bubble of anticipation a- nd surprise that can ruin your day, or make y- ou smile. It cleanses the Earth, feeds the flow- ers and fills all of the holes of the Earth. The raindrop is never silent – it bangs on the roof, spatters on the window and splashes into a puddle. A raindrop.
-Autumn Allred Teacher: Bowman
Catalina Foothills School District Poetry Pages Award-Winning Poetry from 2019-2020
5th Grade: Honorable Mention
I Am Hope
“Today will be horrible,” you say. “Nothing will ever be good.” You say it so many times that I have to remind you that you really can do it. You always keep me stuffed away when you start to think that you can’t. But I love coming out of the small, dark box you keep me in so that I can bring sunshine to your life. If you didn’t have me, you would be miserable like a thunderstorm raging on for years. But I could help you get through it if you would just let me. I am hope.
- Danae Borbon Teacher: Williams
Catalina Foothills School District Poetry Pages Award-Winning Poetry from 2019-2020
6th Grade: 1st Place
Not Christmas Socks
The socks came to me after Christmas Inappropriate like a summer monsoon Green and red colors hint About a holiday come and gone
Cloth hugs my feet Soft as a baby chick A Santa face peeks out from the toes His smile contagious
I wear them in February As consoling as a mom’s goodnight kiss, Out of place like a kitten at a funeral But still as comforting.
They are an instant pick-up Whenever I feel blue Promising cheer and precious memories That have been.
As I slide my feet into them for the hundredth time, My toe pokes through a small hole in the tip Like a mouse venturing from its baseboard home It quickly retreats back into the warm enclosure. Catalina Foothills School District Poetry Pages Award-Winning Poetry from 2019-2020
I worry about the hole Will it spread like a summer forest fire? Will it overtake Santa’s face? And turn his smile into a gaping cavern?
I realize this would change it somehow Erasing its magic, Just like holding a bubble Right before it pops!
I peel the Christmas socks off, like banana skins And tuck them safely in my drawer I know they are there for me, like old friends Whenever I need them.
-Taryn Shah Teacher: Bindschadler
Catalina Foothills School District Poetry Pages Award-Winning Poetry from 2019-2020
6th Grade: Honorable Mention
Magic on the Roof
Today is a clear and beautiful day. One, two, one, two, one, two. I can hear my footsteps on the rungs of the metal ladder beneath my feet. Papa sets it down and gets it set up. I hold it in front of me and walk. One, two, one, two, one, two. I can hear my footsteps as I walk across the roof. Whoosh! I toss the kite into the wind. Up, up, up it soars! It flutters like the wings of a butterfly as it climbs. Papa hands the kite reel to me and I can feel it tug like a fish caught on a line. It is an exciting feeling, any second I feel as though the wind will carry me away. The roof is like another world, a colorful and amazing realm of magic. I love spending time with my family, sitting safely on our rooftop.
- Arianna DuPont Teacher: Salvino
Catalina Foothills School District Poetry Pages Award-Winning Poetry from 2019-2020
7th Grade: 1st Place
Dreams
Dreams: Thoughts floating through your brain Multiple at a time Creating a jumble of ideas At once to form A time of imaginary happiness Even if your days have been sorrowful.
A dark sky Above your head Twinkles with stars. Suddenly it changes From black to red and orange. The sun runs across the sky Before disappearing again At the horizon – A sunrise at midnight.
A lion roars next to your ear Making you more alert Than you have ever been. You open your eyes to see A zebra sprinting away from the lion following. Your stomach jumps As the zebra disappears into the grass And the scene disappears as well.
Catalina Foothills School District Poetry Pages Award-Winning Poetry from 2019-2020
A cool wind blows Against the branches of sturdy trees. They don’t bend But sway instead As if they are singing A lullaby to put you to sleep. Yet you don’t fall asleep, You wake.
And while you want to sleep again, All your dreams And thoughts from the day Are keeping you awake
- Sabina Coan Teacher: Hart Catalina Foothills School District Poetry Pages Award-Winning Poetry from 2019-2020
7th Grade: Honorable Mention
The Crew‘s Demise
The ocean-bound vessel in peace With sailors at work in great ease The lookout in abject fear cries, Seeing clouds to the east, our demise!
Sharp winds scour the sea in refrain They shriek with the voice of a train The cabin boy hears this and sighs At the memory of violence, our demise!
Waves crash now with power so grim The ship flies apart stern to stem Sailors reel and stagger like flies Going down to the depths, our demise!
The ocean-bound vessel in peace Seeing clouds to the east, our demise!
-Zachary Newman Teacher: Gathmann
Catalina Foothills School District Poetry Pages Award-Winning Poetry from 2019-2020
8th Grade: 1st Place
The Sound
My world is made of sound. I shout before I feel pain. I hear the clink of keys before I see the lock. I hear your voice before I see your face.
I set my life to the choreographed rhythm Of heartbeats and music notes, I write in black ink to the swirling patterns Or rock hard melodies Or messy, but somehow elegant beats in my head.
The world should be sound for everyone. Sound comes from the outside. From everywhere.
Taste, sight, touch, and smell. We find them all in music. In the background noise it takes to read Or write, we find them all.
I love the sound of paper. I love the sound of keys typing. I love the sound of thousands of people talking.
I love the world. I love how every sound and every song, Tell a story.
-Jordan Andrews Teacher: Bindschadler
Catalina Foothills School District Poetry Pages Award-Winning Poetry from 2019-2020
8th Grade: Honorable Mention
The Veil
She stands alone, on a Black pebble road. She holds Her bouquet of blue roses to her chest, The sky so dark they seem black In the eerie silences of night-time.
She has no tears, she holds no Hand, yet she bows in front of a weary Altar, the very concrete teeming With anxiety at her presence.
She should not be here.
But bow she does, until her Pale brow lies only inches from the Stone. She is so close, the body under the Earth can even feel it.
And in her white dress, worn only once before, She flicks away a hair from her face. She stands, her posture suddenly stiff like a knife. She smiles,
And pulls her veil over her face, So only time would know she was there.
-Jordan Andrews Teacher: Bindschadler
Catalina Foothills School District Poetry Pages Award-Winning Poetry from 2019-2020
9th Grade: 1st Place
Get a Dog
Get a dog Because they’ll protect you from frogs And be your best friend From beginning To end You should get a dog Because they’ll protect you from frogs And be your best friend From beginning To end You should get a dog
- Jonah Demetriou Teacher: Wilson
Catalina Foothills School District Poetry Pages Award-Winning Poetry from 2019-2020
10th Grade: 1st Place
Butterflies
There’s the flutter in my stomach I can’t tell It it’s Butterflies Or Moths. I get these Butterflies When I am around The people I love, When I hear The sound of happiness Through my Distorted Ears. The moths are more Common, The feelings of anxiety Throbbing through my Body. My ability to breathe correctly, To think Rationally Is gone. But sometimes The butterflies Do the same So I sit and wonder Is it Butterflies Or Is it Moths.
- Maggie Hollingsworth Teacher: Lewis Catalina Foothills School District Poetry Pages Award-Winning Poetry from 2019-2020
10th Grade: Honorable Mention
That Place in My Mind
In the sunshine is where I ride, Searching for that place in my mind. Music fills my ears and fuels my journey. Along this old path I go The road cracked and full of holes. In the sunshine is where I ride, Searching for that place in my mind. One hill done Still more to go But that’s part of the fun Of discovering your home. In the sunshine is where I ride, Searching for that place in my mind. On my face a smile I travel with vigor Though I may seem tired So that I arrive barely withered In the sunshine is where I ride, Searching for that place in my mind. Greens of the grass Blues of the sky When I make my way past All colors whiz by. In the sunshine is where I ride, Searching for that place in my mind. I can feel it Getting closer now The cool waters of relaxation Coming to satisfy my fascination. In the sunshine is where I ride, Searching for that place in my mind. It is clearer now The destination of my dreams Resting upon the horizon I hope I never leave.
- Cole Yaskanich Teacher: Sanderson Catalina Foothills School District Poetry Pages Award-Winning Poetry from 2019-2020
11th Grade: 1st Place
Beating Heart of a Nation
Love of a deprived nation directed towards damnation Rocks on the floor tainted from the explosion that caused an era An era of detonation
As impactful as my fists as they weaken from suppression The world raises a horizon A horizon to the reality of seclusion
Crystals that spark a melodious destination As the weight of reality suddenly dissipates into an illusion As the light shines through the freeze it imitates a fantasy
As the natural fantasy creates a world all can fancy Menaces and martyrs all coincide to the abnormal reality All must interact with immorality All must decide their destiny Yet none can predict their future no matter the agony
Pain that simmers, condenses as the cold enjoins its unconditional love to the mind that lies pensive in seclusion above
The frost that freezes pleases the soul Encapsulating the fire The fire that burns its way through the walls The walls of a beating heart of a nation
- Daniel Harwin Teacher: Frieden
Catalina Foothills School District Poetry Pages Award-Winning Poetry from 2019-2020
11th Grade: Honorable Mention
Doubt of a Flower
Pronouncing an auspicious, rosy “Hi” Jaunts a guide with a feather-smooth lily To encourage the gleeful, undismayed To relay fond memories of silly.
The graceful flower blossoms a rainbow Nothing blocks the scent of pleasing moments Until lurking eyes diminish the flow Stopping further upcoming joy.
The time arrives when the lone sunshine flies The lily withers in a sea of thought The petals caught up in a field of lies To be lost in several twinging core knots
A cloudy, rainy oath is signed with heart A regretful heart not filled in true art.
- Sarah Nielsen Teacher: Fritz
Catalina Foothills School District Poetry Pages Award-Winning Poetry from 2019-2020
12th Grade: 1st Place
I Am Not Privy to What Came Before
I am not privy to what came before. Although I contemplate my purpose here, My mind becomes accustomed to ignore. The clouded goggles shape my path of fear; I notice others stumbling in the dark. But my mind too has tumbled down the stairs, In dire need of Its deserving spark. This vacuum steals our souls – yet no one cares! Perhaps we’re birthed in blindness from the start? I hope this not – instead by foolish choice, We cheat our minds below this world of art. All those who clear their lenses have a voice! I lack all that I have the strength to be, And dream of vision clear, a world I’ll see.
- Katya Cohen Teacher: Staton
Catalina Foothills School District Poetry Pages Award-Winning Poetry from 2019-2020
12th Grade: Honorable Mention
My Character in 789 Characters
I am a child of the desert, drawn to the vibrant green that stems from the Palo Verdes when the monsoons come to visit.
These storms are sacred, a hushed form of rejuvenation. Dark clouds spill, and curative waters pour over me, calming my thoughts and spirit.
The world is quietest as I lie beside the creek with a book in hand. Entering both with a timid first step, then within moments my entire being is submerged.
Often, I am grounded. But sometimes, I am like the wind and I lie. Words and promises fly from my mouth, and are whisked away into the distance, never seen to fruition.
Other times the inside of my head is invaded by a colony of wasps. There is no escape from the incessant buzzing and commotion.
Whole, yet fractured. Inspired by nature, balanced by change, and entranced by possibility.
- Bryn Callie Teacher: Staton