Grades 3-5

Third Place
Haley
Untitled
5th Grade
Dana, NC

Second Place
Ashley
A Beauty Worth Keeping
5th Grade
Dana, NC

First Place
Amelia
House of the rising sun
4th Grade
Hot Springs, NC

People’s Choice
Johnny
Conservation
5th Grade
Dana, NC

Grades 6-8

Third Place
Lance
National Parks
7th Grade
Hendersonville, NC

Second Place
Abbie
Sunrise America
6th Grade
Hendersonville, NC

First Place
Rhiannon Kirshner
String of Hope
8th Grade
Hendersonville, NC

People’s Choice
Abbie Biberdorf
Sunrise America
6th Grade
Hendersonville, NC

Grades 9-12

Third Place
Jennifer Jordan
National Parks
9th Grade
Hendersonville, NC

Second Place
Ashley
The Smell of Rain
12th Grade
East Flat Rock, NC

First Place
Katie
Life of the Trail
9th Grade
Hendersonville, NC

People’s Choice
Ashley
The Smell of Rain
12th Grade
East Flat Rock, NC

This year marks the 40th anniversary of Carl Sandburg Home National Historic Site as a unit of the National Park Service. In celebration of this event, we asked students to write about national parks for the park's annual student poetry contest (at this time this contest is a regional contest spanning over a dozen counties in North and South Carolina).

The winners for first, second, and third place were chosen by judges from the North Carolina Poetry Society. The People's Choice winners were chosen by visitors to the park who took the time to vote for their favorite poems.

Enjoy the insights these young people share about our national parks.