An eighth grade Raccoon Grade School student has won a statewide poetry contest after performing her poem before a large crowd in Chicago.
Mia Suhr was a seventh grade when she first submitted the poem to the Illinois Humanities – Seventh Annual Gwendolyn Brooks Youth Poetry Awards with the encouragement of her teacher Kendra Herman who has been a supporter of Suhr’s special talents.
Suhr was among 816 who started in the competition that wound up with the finals at Logan Center in Chicago last month.
“It was really different because I come from a really small town so seeing all the people and buildings is really different for me. We had to practice before and I messed up a lot but all the contestants were very supportive. We came in there and they announced our name and grade and we went and read our poem in front of a large audience.”
Suhr says poetry is special to her.
“I don’t talk about my feelings a lot so I put that into my poems.”
Suhr received a $200 cash prize, a certificate, and book as her winnings. Suhr, who will be attending Salem Community High School next year, says she is uncertain if she will pursue a career that may include poetry.
Herman says she offered the contest to any student that was interested. Herman called Suhr’s poem entitle ‘Today’ as incredibly moving. It is told from the perspective of a student when a school shooting occurs.
Mia Suhr on stage during competition in Chicago.
