Portsmouth student poetry celebrated in state-wide anthology

Anthology
RISC/IRA Poetry anthology

Five students from Portsmouth Middle School were recognized today for poems published in the RI State Council of the International Reading Association (RISC/IRA) 14th annual poetry anthology. The hour-long ceremony, at Hope Highlands Elementary in Cranston, featured readings by more than 40 K-12 kids from around the state.

Elizabeth Ruest, vice-president of RISC/IRA was on hand to present certificates and praised the work of the students and teachers around the state who read more than 3,000 poems for this year's anthology.

This year's anthology, "People, Places, Poetry," showcased poems by five Portsmouth students: Ethan Bariteau, Nicole Markey, Jack McDaid, Laura Thomas, and Katie Nowak.

Congratulations to our Portsmouth kids -- and to everyone around the state. The readings were a fun experience, and the anthology is full of really fine work.

Special thanks to the Portsmouth Middle School teachers Nelia Almeida, Joanna Conheeny, Erin Costa, Sue Janik, Danielle Laurie, and Brian Smith, and all the ELA teachers in our elementaries who did such a great job bringing the kids to this point.

Full disclosure: Obviously, I am an enormously proud parent; picture of Jack reading is up on Flickr.