Beatrice (Lower 3) wins first place in Upper Prep age category

In what has been such an unusual school year, it has been great to keep the girls’ enthusiasm for writing alive with all our usual writing competitions. Earlier this year, we enjoyed multiple successes in the GDST creative writing competition and I am thrilled to say that further success has come our way in the GDST Laurie Magnus Poetry Prize, with Beatrice in Lower 3 winning first place in the Upper Prep age category.

Beatrice’s writing was completed as part of our celebration of World Book Day where the girls examined and completed work in a range of different poetic styles, exploring how the heroes in our lives could often be unsung. Her poem exploring the heroic nature of friendship during lockdown moved many of us in school and received personal feedback from the judge Claudia Daventry. Claudia is a GDST Aluma and published poet who herself has won many poetry competitions, and she selected Beatrice’s poem for special mention commenting as follows.

“I was particularly taken with the beautiful haiku My Lockdown Friend from Beatrice, who shows what this tiny, apparently simple form can do, as two people ‘locked’ into the poem make contact across its lines. Here it is, quoted in full:

A smiling girl waves

The house-bound lady waves back

Lockdown neighbour friend

Sometimes less is more. This was the quiet note that even in its brevity spoke for the lost year we’ve had, and which has won the 5/6 year group prize. Well done to Beatrice.”

And a very big well done from us too Beatrice!

Sharon Atkinson