Ellington 3rd-Grader Wins Congressional Writing Contest

ELLINGTON, CT — A poem composed in a car hit the essence of U.S. Rep. Joe Courtney's annual 2nd District Black History Month creative writing contest and on Wednesday he was at Windermere School in Ellington to recognize the winner.

Third-grader Lyla Voiland was presented with a certificate for her work titled "Peaceful Protestor," about Martin Luther King.

The contest produced 236 entries from 18 different schools across the 2nd Congressional District. The prompt of this year’s elementary school contest was for students to reflect on the challenges and triumphs of Black Americans throughout history and discuss a significant moment or subject that created positive change.

The purpose of the annual writing contest, according to Courtney, is to celebrate and honor Black History Month and African American heritage while inspiring students to think critically and express themselves through writing.

This year’s theme celebrated the life work of Jacqueline Owens, who was President of the Norwich NAACP for 30 years. Owens passed away June of 2017.

Lyla said she knew King was an inspiration for the work the NAACP and other organizations like it.

She said she composed the first draft of it in the family car, and then "let it cool" for a bit.

Even after submitting the entry, Lyla said she never thought she would win.

Courtney said her piece stood out from the other entries.

"We couldn't believe it ... that a third-grader would write something so beautiful," Courtney said.

Here is the transcript:

Peaceful Protestor
Martin Luther King Jr., a very fine man was he.
He fought for the rights of black people so they could be treated equally.
For black people were treated much differently,
Even though slaves had been set free.
He used no violence to fight for his rights, but instead used love,
And was peaceful as a dove.
He gave a speech on equal rights,
In hopes that blacks would be treated like whites.
Many times he was arrested for his cause,
But even that didn’t make him pause.
As we look at his life we can see,
A pastor, a preacher, a good man was he and he showed life lessons for you and
me.

By: Lyla Voiland

Lyla's mom and dad, Amber and Kyle, were on hand for the ceremony, along with her 2-year-old brother, Noah. She has an older brother, Tyler, 7.

Photo Credit: Chris Dehnel

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