Smithtown HS East Students Excel In Science Poetry Contest

ST. JAMES, NY — Smithtown High School East science student Jolene Cao won first place in the American Chemical Society's Illustrated Poem Contest, the school district announced.

Students Dylan Shen, Sanjivani Singh and Sophia Gavaris were finalists.

In celebration of National Chemistry Week, contestants were challenged to write an illustrated poem centered on the theme of "The Healing Power of Chemistry." Entries were judged on the quality of their poem, the imagery of their artwork and the creativity of their overall submission.

"We are so proud to also have Regional Winners!" said Maria Zeitlin, Smithtown HS East ThINK Discovery research coordinator, in a news release. "Three of the four students are in my AP chemistry class and they really used their knowledge of chemistry to write their poems. From development of chemotherapeutics from WW1 mustard gas to polymer encapsulation, these poems reflect the intricate and diverse importance of chemistry to human health."

Each finalist will receive $25 and the winner will be awarded $50.

First-place regional winner Cao also placed second nationally and was awarded $150.