Winners of the Fairfax County Park Authority’s “Celebrate the Senses!” youth poetry contest were honored on Saturday, April 21, 2018, at the SpringFest Fairfax celebration at Sully Historic Site in Chantilly, VA.

In recognition of National Poetry Month in April, the Park Authority invited children in grades kindergarten through eighth grade to write poems inspired by what they see, touch, taste, smell and feel in Fairfax parks. Two winners in each age category were selected from 115 entries. The six winners received $100 parks prize packs and were invited to read their poems at Springfest Fairfax. The contest was supported in part by the Fairfax County Park Foundation.

Back Row (left to right): Roberta Longworth, Fairfax County Park Foundation Executive Director;

Lane Brooks, Fairfax County Park Foundation Board Treasurer; Sagar Gupta, eighth grader at Rachel Carson Middle School; Jasmine Carlos, eighth grader at Holmes Middle School; Kate Schlageter-Prettyman, fifth grader at Fairhill Elementary School; Sara Baldwin, Deputy Director of the Fairfax County Park Authority; and Cristin Bratt, Deputy Public Information Officer of the Fairfax County Park Authority.

Front Row (left to right): Kenzy Abdelmoneim, first grader at Medina Montessori School; Zoya Quraishi, kindergarten homeschool student; and Lubabah Qazzaz, fourth grade homeschool student.

For more information on the poetry contest and showcase, visit the Poetry Contest.

Media Note: Click image to download.

See more photos at: https://www.flickr.com/photos/ffxparks/albums/72157692950870792