Three Schools Have Students With 'Border Voices

Eight students from California and Nevada -- four from San Diego Unified -- have won prizes for poems that are “sometimes funny, sometimes heartbreaking, sometimes a little of both.”

Winners from San Diego Unified are:

• Max Mittleman, Grade 5, Hearst Elementary School; Poet-teacher – Celia Sigmon; Classroom Teacher – Chris Vasquez
• Bridget Carr, Grade 3, Spreckels Elementary School; Poet-teacher – Celia Sigmon; Classroom Teacher – Deron Bear
• Nohelani Augustine, Grade 10, John Muir School; Poet-teacher – Jackleen Holton; Classroom Teacher – Patricia Hurt 
• Nittaya Evans, Grade 8; John Muir School; Poet-teacher: Jackleen Holton; Classroom Teacher: Chet Hancock

The students will receive cash prizes as well as publication April 30 in "What the Song Hoped For," the 18th annual anthology by the San Diego-based Border Voices Poetry Project.

They will also appear on four TV shows along with notable poets including Steve Kowit, author of The First Noble Truth and The Gods of Rapture as well as In the Palm of Your Hand: The Poet’s Portable Workshop.

Other poets appearing with the kids are the widely published and much-honored Chris Baron, Seretta Martin, and Celia Sigmon.

For more information, visit the Border Voices website.