Contributed by Steve Durning

This spring the Holliston High School English Department held two writing contests, both sponsored by the Holliston Cultural Committee. One contest was for poetry, the other for essays. The topic for each was the same: “You’ve Got to Start Somewhere.”

Chris Murphy of the HHS English Department administered the contest, soliciting submissions and organizing a committee to choose the winners.  The HCC is grateful to Chris and his colleagues for their time, effort, and talent. 

Senior Kelsey Logan won the Poetry Prize.  She enjoys volunteering and is the  Co-President of the National Honor Society at Holliston High School. Taking on this leadership role has enabled her to see the needs of her community and work on solutions with others who share a passion for change.

The Cultural Council cited the alliteration, use of long vowels for effect, and the rhythms of Kelsey’s poem, as in passages such as “i am petals torn and dust-flown away creating clouds of soil untouched” and “makes my hand whole, not hollow.”

Gemma Sampras, also a HHS senior, won the Essay Prize. Also Co-President of the HHS National Honor Society, Gemma will attend Brandeis University in the fall as a political science major. She writes news and opinion pieces for the school newspaper, The Panther Press. 

Reading her essay, members of the HCC noted Gemma’s artful use of sentence-patterns, as when she wrote the following:  “…Sometimes you never get an apology. Sometimes you never get to show someone your world. For now, I will put into words what I can’t show. I will apologize to myself. I will find loyalty in this solitude.”  

The Holliston Cultural Council is empowered by the Mass Cultural Council to enact grants funded by the Massachusetts Legislature and the National Endowment for the Arts. Grants are utilized to fund artistic and cultural projects. At times the HCC raises its own money and uses it to encourage the arts in ways that do not involve people or groups applying for a grant. The HCC used funds it had raised itself for these two writing contests.

The HCC strongly encourages local individuals or groups to apply for funding. Grants are due in October of each year.  For more information on grants or to apply, consult  MA Culture.  Additionally, the HCC seeks new members.  If you have an interest, an application can be found on the Council’s website– HCC Website .