Portland student advances to state poetry competition

PORTLAND — Kiana Sawyer, a student at Portland High School, was one of five winners at the recent Poetry Out Loud Southern Regional competition in Biddeford. She will advance to the statewide competition at Bates College in March. About 9,000 Maine students competed for the chance to be among the 10 contestants in the state competition.

Cheverus Key Club elects new officers

PORTLAND — The Cheverus High School Key Club recently announced its newly elected officers.

Gradeigh Cameron, a junior from Naples, will serve as president; Anne Slattery, a junior from Old Orchard Beach, will serve as vice president; Katherine Ferreira, a junior from Biddeford, will serve as treasurer; and Julia Lambert, a sophomore from Cumberland Foreside, will serve as secretary.

Portland Museum of Art hosts student artwork

PORTLAND — Several students from the Portland public school system have pieces in an exhibit at the Portland Museum of Art which will run through April 1.

In celebration of National Youth Art Month, the museum collaborated with the Maine Art Education Association to organize the annual exhibit featuring artwork from Maine students.

This year’s exhibit showcases more than 100 works of art by students throughout the state from elementary school through high school. Emily Cole from Deering High School and Connor Bruce from Portland High School both have pieces in the exhibition.

Portland students win writing honors

PORTLAND — Six students from the Portland Public Schools have won honors in Maine’s Scholastic Writing Awards contest.

The Southern Maine Writing Project, in conjunction with the University of Southern Maine’s Department of Literacy, Language and Culture, hosted the contest. Maine students in grades seven through 12 submitted 130 pieces.

The competition awarded five golden keys for work that will be forwarded to the national level of the Scholastic Writing Awards. Eliza Lambert, a student at Casco Bay High School, won a golden key for her short story, “The World Against John.”

The Maine competition awarded 21 silver keys, including one to Thalia Muyderman of Lyman Moore Middle School for her short story, “The Voices.”

Among the 38 honorable mentions were four other students from Lyman Moore Middle School: Juliana Bart, Barbara Hersey-Powers, Kate Johnson and Taylor Sargent.

Local children’s art published

PORTLAND — Pictures by Leah Anton, 6, and Claire Anton, 8, have been selected for publication in SPIDER Magazine. In November, readers were asked to submit an original picture of a family at the dinner table. The girl’s pictures were featured in the March 2012 issue.