Faces of the Valley: Deer Lakes' Bernie Donovan earns top prize in national poetry contest

Deer Lakes fifth grader Bernie Donovan loves her life — so much so that she wrote a poem to commemorate it.

“Dear Future Self” speaks to how perfect the 10-year-old sees her existence as a girl who loves mac and cheese, soccer and her dog, Carter.

“I like the way my life is,” Bernie said. “I know it can’t stay the same, but I appreciate having this life when I know there are some people who can’t.”

The poem captured the top prize in a national competition for students in grades three to five. In its 28th year, the contest is hosted by the America Library of Poetry.

Entries are reviewed by a panel of judges with backgrounds in English, literature, journalism or education.

“I couldn’t believe out of all the people, I was the one who got picked,” Bernie said.

Calls for entries go out each spring to mark National Poetry Month in April. Winners are announced in the fall.

Bernie submitted her entry at the urging of gifted and enrichment support teacher Jamie Juran.

“When I offered this contest as a writing project for my students, I made it clear that we were using this as an opportunity to learn about poetry, how it is created and our individual writing processes,” Juran said. “I knew Bernadette’s poem was something special, but to have a poem from the small group of talented writers that I work with recognized like this was beyond my hopes.”

Juran applauded Bernie for persevering through the writing process and revising word choices to create a “lovely, honest poem that speaks to who we all were as children.

“I can’t wait to see what she accomplishes as she grows into her future self,” Juran said.

Bernie said inspiration for the poem came easily.

“I love all of the people around me,” she said. “I trust my family, and my friends make my day. If I do have a bad day, they always know how to cheer me up. If I’m having a good day, they just make it better.”

A student at East Union Intermediate Center, Bernie writes in her poem about being excited for school and having no fears about the world around her.

She said it’s not uncommon to come across unsettling news or posts on her phone that remind her, by contrast, that her life is good.

“We should appreciate what we have in our lives because someone else might not be as lucky as we are,” Bernie said.

Outside school, Bernie plays soccer for the Deer Lakes Area youth league and recently took up basketball. Her favorite hobby is baking, and she loves watching skillful teens compete on TV’s “Kids Baking Championship.”

In class, she admittedly prefers math over English. Bernie’s winning poem was only her second attempt at writing.

Principal Jodi VanderSchaaff said the school community is proud of the accomplishment.

“She is a fantastic student, a leader among her peers and now a published poet,” VanderSchaaff said. “I can’t wait to see what the future holds for her. I’m sure it will be great.”

For her win, Bernie receives a certificate, $100 and will be published in a poetry book.

“I thought maybe I might have a chance to win third place,” she said. “But I could not believe I won.”