North Springs Freshmen Win National Poetry Contest, Earn Spot in Historic MLK Jr. Rose Garden

The Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historical Park and Preservation District and International World Peace Rose Gardens selected two North Springs High School Freshman Academy students as winners in their prestigious Inspirational Messages of Peace Contest. The winners were chosen from over 4330 student entries nationwide. Escarlett Lopez-Adame won for her poem, “The World Dream” and Sharon Omorodion was selected for her poem, “Living Waters of Peace.”

North Springs Freshman Academy also boasts six honorable mentions in this contest:

Audrielle Halliburton for her poem, “Calm Words”

Lincoln Wright for his poem, “Neverending Peace”

Serenity R. Jackson for her poem, “Fine Lines”

Ashley Vega-Aguirre for her poem, “This is America”

Antonio Ezell for his poem, “Peacefully Declaring Peace”

Shelby Gibbons-McCrory for her poem, “Peace is the Future”

Sylvia Villalobas, the Co-Creator/President of the International World Peace Rose Garden, sponsor of the 34^th Anniversary Celebration of the “I Have a Dream” World Peace Rose Garden poetry contest, visited North Springs to present t-shirts and certificates to celebrate these students.

On May 14^th, all students and their families attended the award ceremony at Ebenezer Baptist Church and had their pictures taken in the rose garden. Escarlett and Sharon each read their poems from the Ebenezer Baptist Church pulpit. In addition, their poetry is engraved and permanently displayed on plaques in the Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historical Park Rose Garden in Atlanta.

“This is an incredible achievement for these students and for our entire school community,” said Mr. Scott Hanson, principal of North Springs. “This project offered our students a powerful opportunity to reflect on themes of peace and justice, and Escarlett and Sharon’s words will continue to resonate with visitors at the World Peace Rose Garden for years to come. It’s a remarkable achievement to have two students from North Springs selected as winners in this national contest. We are grateful that our freshman social studies students were invited to participate and fortunate that teachers, such as Mrs. Kelly Olson, provide students these opportunities.”

North Springs High School celebrates Escarlett, Sharon, and applauds the dedication of all student finalists whose voices contributed to this meaningful project. Their work reflects the power of young people to inspire change and their words will now live on as a lasting tribute to peace and unity.