Poems for peace
Students expressed themselves through poetry that advocated for peace in their communities, homes and schools.
Their poetic expressions were made during the Veterans For Peace 12th annual public reading and reception of the Alachua County Peace Poetry contest held Saturday at the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship located at 4225 NW 34th St.
The contest began in January where students of Alachua County schools, both public and private in grades K-12, submitted one poem on what peace and social justice means to them. Almost 200 poems were submitted and a team of community writers and poets judged the poems.
Twenty-six students were selected as winners of the contest and read their poems aloud on Saturday.
"Parents aren't able to understand how their kids think and what's on their minds," said Scott Camil, president of the Gainesville chapter of VFP. "This is a perfect way for kids to express themselves. When I was a kid no one asked me what I was thinking. The kids are the future and this is a great way to see what they think about the future."
Veterans For Peace is a global organization of military veterans and allies dedicated to building a culture of peace by using unique experiences as veterans. The organization's goal is to one day end war for good.
Camil was a sergeant in the Marines and served in the Vietnam War and has earned two purple hearts. He was honorably discharged in July 1969 and settled in Gainesville in December 1970.
"It's important for veterans to come home to talk about what's being done," Camil said. "Gainesville has been a great place for peace and justice."
The winners received a certificate of accomplishment and a gift certificate to a local bookstore. Event organizer Sheila Payne handed the certificates and gift certificates to each student after they finished reading their poems.
Melanie Hobson introduced each poet during the program.
The 26 poetry winners were: Jaylah Hines, AuNiyah Singleton, Alyssa Robinson, Cole Carpenter, Landon Chase, Lily Harrell, Noelle Hurley, Sophia Knoerle, Miko Shitama, August Zhang, Lillian Tomlinson, Avery Zappini, Callum Daley, Asher Case, Noah Gorme, Rekhi Kinsey, Cyrus Fariborizan, Autumn Frenchman, Carly Loeffler, Quan Tran, Nolan Van Riper, Maya Rose Chacko Allen, DeShaun Davis, Isabel Padron, Aeden Schneck, Jaxson Christie.
August, a fifth-grader at Hidden Oak Elementary School, said she was happy to be selected as one of the winners and enjoyed listening to the poems of her peers.
"I liked the event a lot," August said. "They were very extraordinary. This was an amazing experience."
Jaxson, a 12th grader at P.K. Yonge Developmental Research School, said his poem came to him as he was in his musical theater class.
"It came from a deeper part of me," Jaxson said. "It is a very moving piece. War is a very horrific thing."
He said poetry is a great way for someone to express themselves.
"Poems are fun to write," Jaxson said. "It helps you express an idea with no limitations. You can express your thoughts that are hard to express and it is open to interpretation."
This year, VFP awarded its peace scholarship to four recipients who earned $1,500 each.
The recipients were Miriam Elshaer, Isabella Macias, Bryanna Michel, and Maria Monsserat de la Cruz Mora.
"I was surprised yet thankful," Michel said.
Michel is a Buchholz High School graduate and she is also a graduate of the dual enrollment program at Santa Fe College.
She is a double major in women's studies and psychology at the University of Florida.
She said she plans to either attend a doctoral program or law school in pursuit of a career dedicated to social justice.
"I have a lot of gratitude for the Gainesville community," Michel said. "The city serves the community of all backgrounds. It was an honor to be one of the recipients. The recipients show that there's a lot of people helping the world. I loved seeing the kids share their poems. This program should be installed and expanded to more POC (people of color) students."
Her mother, Syltane "FiFi" Pierre, said she is proud of her daughter's accomplishments.
"This is what she likes to do, making sure everyone is equal," Pierre said. "This wasn't a surprise to me. This is who she is."
Paul Ortiz, a VFP member, admired the poets who read in front of the audience.
"I was really inspired," said Ortiz, a distinguished author, history professor and director of the Samuel Proctor Oral History Program at UF. "I admired the poise they had in front of the audience. This shows how good our schools and our teachers are to help encourage them to write and express themselves."
VFP will host a Memorial Mile event on Monday (Memorial Day) at the intersection of Northwest 34th Street and Northwest Eighth Avenue to continue their efforts to raise awareness of the cost of war with a display of personalized tombstones the volunteers and members will place on the ground.
For more information about VFP, visit www.vfpgainesville.org
This article originally appeared on The Gainesville Sun: Students recite poems advocating for peace
