2018 Contest Winners

2018 Coloring Contest Spotlight

Elijah Hines

Elijah Hines captured second place coloring "Face of Greatness." You can download and print your own coloring sheet of the Face of Greatness (PDF).

2018 Teen Essay Contest Winner 

Option 1: Poetic Possibilities
List Book Reference: A Child’s Garden of Verses by Robert Louis Stevenson
Writing Prompt: What inspirational topics would you focus on in your poems?

From left: Marquita L. Scott,
Past NIRMV Secretary/Youth Services
 Coordinator, winner Lena McDonald
and NIRMV President Darlene House.

A Teen’s Forest of Verses
By Lena McDonald

I read A Child’s Garden of Verses and it had many different types of poems. Some really made you paint a picture of what the child was speaking on. Others, with it being olden days, you have to imagine what type of world it was for them. They seemed powerful and yet so innocent coming from young children. I think they were trying to let us see through their eyes of how they used to live.

Now if I had to write something in Modern Times, my poems would be different, probably more gloomy and dark. But sometimes more happy and cheerful as the original book. But times are different now, way different. A lot more is different from how my parents and grandparents’ stories revealed that we were told. Now it seems like everyone wants everything right now instantly. Instant coffee, Instant tea! People are quick to judge and bash one another, we don’t take time out anymore to listen. It seems elders don’t care anymore and everyone it seems has a gun. And where are the Real Grandparents at? The ones that protected us with their wisdom, truth and love and a couple pieces of candy and money in our purses we would find later. Not the ones that party, smoke and drink with their children. It’s too much now. I just could go on and on with the different type of parents that are out here. But with that being said, the type of poems that I would write would have many subjects.

The subjects would mean so much to express what I like and dislike, what disgusts me with this world right now. There is so much to share about the short time that I have been on this Earth. My subjects would be about what I see in my everyday life, what I have been taught, what makes me laugh and cry. Also, about spiritual things such as how you should trust in God, Father and the Holy Spirit. My poems would consist of Girl Power, Black and White, Justice and Injustice, Black Lives Matter, Cop Killers, Me Too, #45 (Donald Trump), Slavery in the 21st Century, School, Love, Hate, Weight Issues, Teen Suicide and Spiritual Growth. But I would save the best for last – Black Girl Magic!

God has given me so many talents that I know I haven’t even tapped into. I never thought that I would be asked to and not even thought of writing about my feelings in poems. It seems like so much distress and sadness happens every day. But there is also gladness, joy, loving and caring, family and living my best life that I could have for a 15 year old. I have so many things to speak about in my poems. I think it would be an inspiration not just to my generation, but to all generations young and old that would forever be read just like A Child’s Garden of Verses.