The creative writings of five Hillcrest School students have been chosen for a provincial initiative, the Young Saskatchewan Writers 2020-21 publication.
Selected were Kirkman and Baylee from Grade 1, who each wrote a paragraph about things they love. Dexter, who is in Grade 2, wrote a poem called Summer; Allie, who is in Grade 4, wrote a poem named Pizza; and Emmalee, who is in Grade 8, created a poem named Writing Poem.
Hillcrest principal Kristy Johnson said the publication is through the Literacy Educators’ Network of Saskatchewan (formerly the Saskatchewan Reading Council).
Not all writings submitted will be printed, as the network selects the entries they believe to be the best.
“They selected these ones just based on the ideas in their poems and paragraphs, and strong writers’ voice and word choice for their age categories,” said Johnson.
At the school level, Hillcrest selected 12 entries that they regarded as high-quality and to have a chance at being published by the network. Of those 12, five were selected to be printed.
“We did have some students whose writing wasn’t selected, and they should be very proud too, because it’s about taking a risk and putting themselves out there,” said Johnson.
Johnson said the school has dedicated a lot of time during the school year to helping the students with their writing.
“We have provided additional time for writers’ workshops, and we really just want to provide students an opportunity to share their voice and to get their thoughts from their head to their paper,” said Johnson. “We’ve been working a lot on engagement in writing and trying to instill confidence in writing, so students, even as young as kindergarten and pre-K, believe they are writers, because writing comes in all different forms, as we know,” said Johnson.
The school has also been encouraging students to share that love of writing.
Johnson is also pleased to see that students from several different grades were selected.
“We’ve just seen the kids’ confidence grow, and so it’s an honour. We’ve talked to the students, that they should be very proud of this accomplishment,” said Johnson.
The five students were recognized during a school-wide, Microsoft Teams assembly on Friday afternoon. Each read their writing for their peers as the school celebrated the accomplishment.
The students writing is below:
Baylee, Grade 1
Things I Love
I love my dogs and cats. My cat’s names are Bruce and Layla. My dog’s names are Carlos and Duke. I love when Duke follows me and when Carlos licks me! When my mom shines laser lights on the wall, my cats go after it. It is fun to watch and I laugh at them. I am happy that I have dogs and cats. They are part of my family!
Kirman, Grade 1
Things I Love
I have a family I love. I love talking to my nephew. He is 4 years old. We love playing Minecraft all the time. I love my family because they care about me. We play games like Monopoly Star Wars. Sometimes we play soccer at home and sometimes we have taco night. I have a baby brother, and my mom, dad and I play with him. He learned how to kick this morning. He is cute! He likes to listen to me when I read and play Magic Tiles 3. My mom and dad are special to me and they love me. They are a special part of my life.
Dexter, Grade 2:
Summer
It is summer,
The yellow flowers are blooming,
It is time to hit the shores,
Have a summer break with sweet lemonade,
Tons of people waiting for the pool at the Leisure Center,
Just waiting to get cooled off!
Family barbecues in the backyard,
Roasting hot dogs,
Yummy s’mores in the outdoors,
Tents are set up and people are fishing,
Beach ball on the shores,
It is summer!
Allie, Grade 4:
Pizza
Pop it in the oven
Cheese oozing out
Stretchy cheese swimming
out of your mouth!
Mozzarella cheese and
spicy pepperoni
What's your dip?
Ranch, salsa, ketchup?
Taking my time to eat this delicious snack
Yum yum!
Emmalee, Grade 8:
Writing Poem
Letters form words,
Words form sentences,
And sentences form the world of your dreams.
I pick up my pen and write down the words I see.
Cherry blossom trees, and dazzling lakes,
The letters fill the page, just the story and me.
Bright and magical, dark and mysterious,
The page can fly, or the page can cry.
My story must take for a dark turn.
Rapid fires burn the trees, large beasts kill the small,
Night falls and the world awakes,
And when the sun rises, the world is gone.
Now the story must end, and I must drop my pen,
The magic of writing is endless.
