Pictured are Grace Fredericks, Michele Bombard, Emilie Fregoe and Amanda Polarolo

MASSENA -- Three fifth graders at Trinity Catholic School recently won a poetry contest sponsored by the SUNY Potsdam’s North Country Schools Peace Poetry Project.

Amanda Polarolo, Grace Fredericks and Emilie Fregoe of Michele Bombard’s fifth grade English class won the contest, and their poems will be published in this year’s Peace Poetry Calendar published by the university, and the students have been invited to participate in a reading of selected poems Saturday, April 25 at Dunn Theater, SUNY Potsdam.

“These students chose to write poems centered around the world peace theme. I submitted them to the Potsdam College Department of English and Communication, and was so excited to hear the news that they had won," said Bombard.

“This year we learned how poets sometimes use refrains to get an important point across,” said Fredericks. “I used this tool in my poem.”

Fregoe said that in her poem“It Starts With You," she thought in terms of writing centered around a theme and what she had in her heart about peace.

“In my poem , I used rhyme because we studied rhyme scheme and how rhyme can make poems more interesting,” said Amanda Polarolo.

"I’m so glad that these students are being recognized for their efforts! And what a unique opportunity for them to get to visit the college and participate in Saturday’s event," Bombard said. "And maybe, just maybe, we have a poet laureate or two here at Trinity Catholic School."