Louine Schaufler Youth Contest Middle School Winners

The Louine Schaufler Youth Poetry Contest was established to encourage poem-making from South Dakota students. The contest is open to middle school and high school students across the state. The 2022 Contest had 16 middle school entries and 42 high school entries. The middle school contest was judged by Marcelle Remund who is from South Dakota, where she taught at the University of South Dakota. Her poems have appeared in numerous journals. Her poem “Caught” won first prize in the 2022 O’Bheal International Poetry Competition, Cork, Ireland.

First Place

The StormClaire Hyronimus, Grade 8Thunder rumblesLightning cracklesThe air smells of rainGrass is eager for cool reliefStorm clouds splitDownpour of waterThe dry earth absorbsDance in the rainSplash in the puddlesThen,Drive through rainThen,Gaze out the windowObserve the droplets pang on glassWatch until the end

Second Place

Always With MeTaira Buss, Grade 8My eyes scan the open plains,The wind blows through my hair.I feel the long grass running through my fingers.A cow trots gently through the field,Across the dusty road, I see a farmer tending to his crops.The iconic prairie pasque flower glows a light purple.This will always be with me, no matter what,My heritage, my home, South Dakota.

Third Place

Green and SereneMiah Thorsten, Grade 8South Dakota, so young and green,But have you ever been to the places I’ve seen,Rivers as blue as forget-me-nots,Forests as green as clovers in spots,The badlands with their rocky terrain and red stripes,Or Needles Highway with their rock spires all formed in different types,Falls Park the water rushing powerfully through the rocks never to stop running,You should also visit Roughlock Falls with the scenery so gorgeous and stunning,Go see Hill city the rolling hills and grasses so green,Or Mount Rushmore with 4 of the US presidents still looking so pristine,Maybe visit Custer State Park where many types of animals can be seen,Or go see Devils Gulch where Jesse James jumped over the ravine,Lake Herman with it’s clear water maybe have a picnic or a little swim,Go see Canyon Lake Park where the fun will never dim,South Dakota so beautiful and serene but there’s still one other thing,The sunsets full of more colors than you can imagine but there’s always a golden ring,

Honorable Mention

I Grew Up Ryah Manker, Grade 8I grew up not knowing if my father was ever going to come back; He did but never for long.I grew up trying to get my mother to stop working 2 jobs, but instead having to raise myself.I grew up watching the wind blow in every direction and the leaves fall down like pieces of a puzzle.I grew up with faces that I knew that didn’t know me back plastered on the wall.I grew up alongside rolling hills and roaring snow storms.I grew up among kids who got to live my dreams instead of me.I grew up blasting the same music in my ears everyday.I grew up because I had to.