Area Keiki Are Budding Poets

Two Kapolei keiki were honored for their creative writing skills in the Wordsworth the Poet Poe-TREE Contest last month.

Mauka Lani Elementary School student Makayla Rose Molden, 6, and Kapolei Middle School student Cindy Tsou, 11, placed in their divisions for poetry about trees in celebration of Earth Month.

Molden was one of two winners in the K-5 division for her piece, untitled, while Tsou was one of two winners in the 6-8 grade division for her piece, Red Maple Tree. Open to students in grades K-12, the contest asked keiki to write a poem about their favorite tree.

The contest was inspired by Frances Kakugawa’s book, Wordsworth! Stop the Bulldozer!, in which a group of young mice rally to save their community by writing poems to remind their neighbors about the beauty of trees.

The students’ entries were judged on creativity and poetic merit. Molden, Tsou and the other winners received copies of books in the Wordsworth series, a gardening kit and a Koa Legacy Tree from the Hawaiian Legacy Reforestation Initiative.

To view the winning poems, visit blog.bookshawaii.net.