Whiz Kid: Angelica Castelan

Angelica Castelan is an English teacher's dream.

She keeps a journal—just because. She reads Charles Dickens in her free time, drawn to his use of vocabulary. And when Angelica and her two best friends "get together" online, a good chunk of that time is spent critiquing one another's writing. No, Angelica is not a candidate for a PhD. in English.

She's a 13-year-old eighth grader at Cockeysville Middle School. And recently, the young writer was recognized for her creative ability.

Angelica won first prize in the poetry division of the fourteenth Annual Baltimore County Middle School Writing Contest for her poem, " The Boy in the Snow," chosen from among 140 poems entered.

The judges, senior literary arts students and the literary arts chair at George Washington Carver Center for Arts and Technology, chose the winners based on the entries that moved them.

"Ultimately, the entries which were chosen as winners were the ones that stayed with us long after we were finished reading them," wrote judges Natalie Van Sant, Eden Anbinder and Catena Badolato and Jay Imbrenda in a letter to the winners.  

This feedback—as well as the award—came as a surprise to the budding poet.

"I never thought my writing was that good. Now I got a boost of confidence," said Angelica, who envisions pursuing writing as a hobby into adulthood.

Those who know Angelica well say she's already got a jumpstart.

"She just naturally has a gift, whether she's writing poetry or prose," said Jennifer Stoe, who teaches Angelica gifted-and-talented eighth-grade English. "She has a good voice."

That voice comes across as robust and intense in Angelica's winning poem. Here's an excerpt:

Boy in the snow,

You're crumbling as we speak

You're stuck without aid

You’re greeting without eyes

Boy in the show,

You desire something more

You crave the touch we seek

You shelter more than allowed

Inspiration for the poem came as Angelica watched a recent snow storm through a window in her home. She planned to get support for her idea from her two friends.

Chatting online, Angelica read the thoughts her two friends proposed for writing samples they planned to enter in the contest. Angelica offered feedback to her friends, then waited to get some input for her ideas in return. But it didn't work out as planned.

"They logged off before I could send them my ideas. I had to write the poem alone. I just took a shot," Angelica said.