Picturing America Winners Announced

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On Wednesday, January 25, students, faculty, and parents gathered in Catholic Memorial School's Academic Resource Center to honor winners of the school's annual Picturing America Writing Contest.

The contest uses the works from the Picturing America painting series created by the National Endowment for the Arts. Each year, CM faculty chooses two pieces from the National Endowment for the Arts' Picturing America series and asks students to make connections between the art and history by composing either short stories, nonfiction essays, or poetry. This year's works were James Karales's photograph "Selma-to-Montgomery March for Voting Rights in 1965" and Thomas Hart Benson's "The Sources of Country Music." Guest judges decided the winners.

William Martin '68, the bestselling author of 10 historical suspense novels including Back Bay, The Lincoln Letter, and The Lost Constitution, judged fiction entries.

Regie Gibson decided the poetry winners. A poet, songwriter, author, and educator, Mr. Gibson has performed and taught at universities, theaters, and on television, including HBO's Def Poetry Jam and TEDx. Mr. Gibson is a former National Poetry Slam Individual Champion and an Artist of the Year for Excellence in Poetry for The Chicago Tribune.

Michael Connelly '82 judged the nonfiction category, using his expertise as the author of the nonfiction works 26.2 Miles to Boston and The President’s Team.

First Place: "Stations of the Hopeful" by Benjamin Kimball

Second Place: "Sources of Country Music" by Matthew Floyd

Third Place: "Bloody Sunday" by Brendan MacNeil

Honorable Mention: "Working for Tomorrow" by Nick Olwell

First Place: "Selma" by Kyle Peterson

Second Place: "Bluegrass Nocturne" by Michael McCarthy

Third Place: "Selma to Montgomery" by Giuseppe Presti

Honorable Mention: "Trouble at the Ol' Stevenson Tavern" by Rory Redmond

Middle School Honorable Mention: "The March to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue" by Brandon Maddox

First Place: "The Brewing Storm" by Brendan Barrie

Second Place: "The March for Voting Rights" by Anthony Moussalli

Third Place: "Impact of this Painting in the Past and Today" by Tim Lucy

A special thank-you to Mrs. Corsano for organizing and hosting this annual contest and award ceremony, and thank you to Mrs. Eberly. Thanks to all the students who entered this contest, and congratulations to the winners!