Nineteen SHS Students’ Become Published Poets

Jennifer Lamer -

Nineteen South High School (SHS) students were published in the book, A Celebration of Poets, 2022. The students are:

  • Owen Bailey
  • Bryson Bettles
  • Annabelle Burr
  • Allie Bray
  • Tiara Fair
  • Addison Frederking
  • Kaitlyn Geist
  • Morgan Janousek
  • Nash Murdock
  • Dylan Norris
  • Jackson Perry
  • Isabella Price
  • Grady Smith
  • Shiloh Summers
  • Hao Tran
  • Danny Tso
  • Kamryn Watts
  • Carson Wellbrock
  • Mia White

Jeri Clouston was their SHS Advanced English 1 teacher who incorporated the poetry contest into her lesson plans. “It was a special opportunity for our students to use what they learned about poems and poetry terms,” explained Clouston. “Their final activity for the unit was to write their own poems from a variety of poetry choices.” The Creative Communication publishing company accepted 19 for publication.

“I value the diverse and engaging content that we look at throughout the year, as well as the various themes and genres we explore,” said Addison Frederking, sophomore whose work was published. “I think that it really helps kids find what they enjoy in a book or poem.”

As a result of the students being published, South High was recognized with a Poetic Achievement Award. The award recognizes schools with excellent English Language Arts programs and have over 50 percent of their total entries accepted for publication.

“My family has always supported my creativity and communication skills, but I think what inspired me most was getting praise from my teachers and peers for my work,” said Frederking. “I found it really encouraging seeing how many people liked what I wrote when I actually put myself out there.”

Student creativity and communication, as well as the tradition of excellence at Salina Public Schools, is well demonstrated by this award.