By Maggie McGillicuddy UConn ECE Instructor, ERTH 1051: Earth’s Dynamic Planet, Torrington High School & Robert M. Thorson, Professor, Department of Earth Sciences, UConn ECE Earth Sciences Faculty Coordinator

 

This spring, an eager group of UCo­nn ECE students from Torrington High School attended a field trip to UConn Storrs Campus to enrich their course, ERTH 1051: Earth’s Dynamic Planet. The group was led by their teacher Maggie McGillicuddy, with help by Rick Dubois, UConn ECE certified physics instructor at Tor­rington High School. His insight was valuable as geophysics is an important part of the Earth Sciences.

 

The trip began in front of the historic Beach Hall, the headquarters for the Department of Earth Sciences. There, Carissa Rutkauskas, of the UConn ECE program staff, welcomed the stu­dents and informed them of upcom­ing events of the day. At that point, Professor Robert M. Thorson, Earth Science’s UConn ECE Faculty Coor­dinator, called the students’ attention to the sweeping view of Horse Barn Hill as a glacial landform, the disin­tegrating concrete as a consequence of sidewalk salt chemistry, and the trash bins being filled with single-use plastic containers as an example of our dependence on earth materials, in this case petroleum. All these things – landforms, architecture, manu­factured materials – fall within the purview of the Earth Sciences.

 

Heading inside, we were greeted by the Department Head Professor Tracy Frank, who encouraged the students to think about careers in the field. We also had a chance to meet several fac­ulty members, tour the research and teaching labs, see the ancient iron safe where cash tuition was likely kept, and visit Professor Thorson’s book- and rock-cluttered office.

 

One highlight of the trip was a guided tour of the Stone Pavilion, a tiny building built in 1937 that mimics the shape of a quartz crystal. The exterior walls and arched openings of this geo­heritage site are built with stones from all 169 towns in Connecticut, includ­ing one from the student’s hometown of Torrington. Inside the pavilion is an exhibit gallery of beautiful speci­men stones, one from each state in the nation.

 

The students then toured campus, nearly all of them for the first time. Their favorite spot was the Student Recreation Center, which has the tallest climbing wall in New England! After spending time in the UCo­nn Bookstore, everyone ate lunch in the Student Union food court. The final highlight was a visit to the world-famous UConn Dairy Bar for some ice cream.

 

All in all, it was a great day. The students rated it “11 out of 10!” and the instructors hope to make this an annual event. They set an example for other school visits to follow. We hope to see you next year.

By Janet Belval, CT State Director, CT Science Olympiad, UConn ECE Instructor at South Windsor High School

UConn Early College Experience was proud to host the 2026 Connecticut State Science Olym­piad Competition. This premier annual event brought together some of the brightest young minds from across the state to showcase their scientific skills, problem-solving abilities, and teamwork. The day was filled with immense excitement, collaboration, and intense competi­tion as these budding scientists left no stone unturned in their quest for victory.

 

Science Olympiad is a highly regarded competition that challenges students across a wide ar­ray of scientific disciplines, including biology, chemistry, physics, engineering, and more. With an impressive lineup of more than 23 distinct events, the participants were required to exhibit rigorous content knowledge, innovation, and analytical thinking. Over 50 dedicated Science Olympiad teams from around the state prepared for months leading up to the event, showcas­ing a remarkable commitment to excellence.

 

Tournament Champions & Highlights

 

The battle for the state title showed incredible depth this season, culminating in a spectacular repeat victory.

 

Division C (High School): South Windsor High School fiercely defended their title to emerge once again as the Division C State Winners. They will advance to proudly represent Connecti­cut at the National Tournament.

 

Igniting Curiosity and Inspiring the Future

 

Participating in Science Olympiad is far more than just a bid for med­als. It is a profound opportunity for young minds to explore their passions and ignite a lifelong curiosity about the world around them. Teams are pushed to their limits in structural building and engineering events, and rigorous written examinations and hands-on experimental design.

 

Across the campus, the energy of dis­covery was undeniable. Visitors could witness everything from helicopters being flown to a high-stakes Foren­sic Crime Lab being run inside the Chemistry Building.

 

These are the exact hands-on, im­mersive experiences that create lasting memories for Connecticut students, actively inspiring them to step up and join the next generation of world-changing scientists. The overwhelming success of this year’s Connecticut Science Olympiad com­petition reflects the critical impor­tance of cultivating scientific curiosity in our schools. This massive under­taking would simply not be possible without the foundational support of dedicated coaches, passionate parent and community volunteers, and the exceptional staff of the UConn ECE program.

 

Final Standings & Special Recognitions

C DIVISION

Gold – South Windsor High School

Silver – Avon High School

Bronze – Staples High School

4th place – Wilton High School

Best New Team – West Haven High School

 

 

Introduction by Christopher Todd

Participant data by Cyndee McManaman, CT History Day Regional Coordinator

 

The University of Connecticut and the Office of Early College Programs are proud to support Connecticut History Day (CHD), an enriching program that empowers students to explore the past through rigorous research, thoughtful analysis, and creative expression. This year’s theme, “Revolution, Reaction, Reform in History,” invited students to examine the dynamic forces that have shaped societies across time and place. By investigating moments of transformative change, the responses they inspired, and the reforms that followed, students gain a deeper understanding of how history informs the pres­ent. Through this partnership, UConn and Connecticut History Day foster the curiosity, critical thinking, and civic engagement that prepare the next generation of informed leaders to make meaningful contributions to their communities and beyond.

 

On Saturday, March 7th, UConn Storrs hosted 30 schools comprised of 29 educators and 514 students for the Mansfield Regional Connecticut History Day Contest. In total, 4,805 students participated in Con­necticut History Day contests this year, with the State Contest held at Central Connecticut State University (CCSU) on Saturday, May 2nd.

 

56 Connecticut students traveled to the University of Maryland June 14–18, 2026, for the National History Day Contest, joining more than 2900 students from around the world. Fifteen Connecticut entries received awards or recognition at the National Contest; eight of these entries hailed from the Mansfield Region.

 

Cyndee McManaman, Mansfield Regional Coordinator: “I was happy to have new schools participate in History Day this year. The standards and inquiry-based skills students acquire and hone while completing a His­tory Day project speaks to the rigor embedded in the program. Watching students grow and improve throughout the contest season is powerful. Students aren’t just learning about the history of their chosen topic, but of our country’s and world’s history through the lens of the annual theme.”

 

Teacher quotes

History Day is a fantastic program that challenges students to develop a long-term project using a wide range of resources. As such, it requires persistence and time management, analytical skills when reading high-level text and historical documents and then adapting those resources into a high-quality project.

We encourage students to participate in History Day to engage in rigorous research and presentation of information. Students learn valuable skills all along the journey – academic research related, social, and personal.

 

Student quotes

I loved seeing other projects and gaining a better insight about other parts of history.

I truly enjoyed doing research and creating a nuanced understanding of history.

 

By Aidan Stimac, UConn Chemistry Graduate Student and Dr. Michael Kienzler, Assistant Professor of Chemistry

 

This spring, UConn Early College Experience welcomed nearly 200 high school students from across Connecticut to campus for two UConn ECE Chemistry Lab Days, held on April 30 and May 15, 2026. Together, these events brought students from eleven high schools into the University of Connecticut’s Chemistry Building for immersive, research-based laboratory experiences that connected classroom learning with university-level science.

 

The first event, held on April 30, welcomed more than 110 students from Rocky Hill High School, Academy of Information Technology High School, Northwest Catholic High School, Enfield High School, and Somers High School. A second session on May 15 brought an additional 78 students from Lewis S. Mills High School, Jonathan Law High School, Joseph A. Foran High School, The Woodstock Academy, Berlin High School, and Orville H. Platt High School.

 

These events were coordinated by the UConn Early College Experience Program Office and Dr. Fatma Selampinar, Professor in Residence and UConn ECE Chemistry Faculty Coordinator. Each day paired students with UConn faculty and graduate researchers, offering a firsthand look at the types of experiments and analytical techniques used in modern chemical research.

 

During the April 30th session, scientific activities were led by Assistant Professor Dr. Michael Kienzler. Following an introductory presentation, students moved into undergraduate teaching laboratories, where they synthesized derivatives of azobenzene, a compound known for its light-responsive, photoswitching properties. Using ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy and thin-layer chromatography, students analyzed the compounds they created, gaining insight into how chemical structure and light exposure influence molecular behavior. The experiments reflected ongoing research in Dr. Kienzler’s lab and in­troduced students to advanced meth­ods used in contemporary chemistry.

 

At the May 15 session, students engaged with research led by Dr. Jie He, Professor in the Department of Chemistry and the Polymer Program at UConn’s Institute of Materials Sci­ence. After learning about nanoparticle surface chemistry, students conducted experiments comparing untreated and modified nanoparticles. They observed how these materials responded under different conditions and used UV-visi­ble spectroscopy to link their observa­tions to quantitative data. The activity, based on current research in Dr. He’s lab, provided students with an authen­tic introduction to materials science and nanochemistry.

Across both events, students extended their learning beyond the laboratory bench through exposure to advanced instrumentation central to chemical research. Dr. Selampinar coordinated sessions on Nuclear Magnetic Res­onance (NMR) spectroscopy with facility director Dr. Luke Fulton, while graduate students from UConn’s Chemistry Department demonstrated techniques such as mass spectrometry and X-ray diffraction. These expe­riences helped students understand how chemists identify, analyze, and characterize materials using special­ized tools.

 

Together, the two UConn ECE Chem­istry Lab Days provided students with meaningful, hands-on opportunities to engage in college-level science while building connections with faculty, graduate students, and peers from across the state. By linking high school coursework with active re­search and laboratory practice, these events reflect the shared commitment of UConn ECE and the Department of Chemistry to expanding access to academic experiences and inspiring the next generation of scientists.

 

 

 

This year, the UConn School of Pharmacy celebrated its 100th anniversary and its new name—the UConn School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences—recognizing the many PhD students and researchers who contribute to the school’s success.

 

The past academic year also marked an expansion of outreach efforts across Connecticut. Hundreds of high school students explored careers in pharmacy through hands-on activities, campus visits, and presentations from faculty and current students. Such events both on and off campus were made in large part due to a generous award from CVS Health. In addition, CVS pharmacists were active participants across different events, offering students perspectives from a variety of backgrounds and careers within pharmacy.

 

Led by Associate Dean Dr. Rickles, outreach visits brought pharmacy directly into schools and at the Connecticut Science Center, where students practiced administering injections on simulation arms and learned about the profession firsthand. On-campus visitors toured the school, compounded lip balms and scrubs, and participated in interactive demonstrations, including Dr. White’s human body simulator, which allowed students to see how medications are used to make emergency clinical decisions. During the summer, 15-18 high school students from across the region come to UConn’s Storrs Campus to learn about pharmacy and engage in many interactive activities. These students graduate from the ome-week immersive experience with the designation of being CVS Health Junior Scholars. Dr. Rickles had a team of faculty, staff, as well as the project coordinator and recent UConn grad, Alexandra Torres Munoz, to collaborate with to make all events successful and enjoyable.

 

In addition to the hands-on events and school visits, the School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences has rolled out PHARM 1002: Fundamentals of Pharmacology, as a UConn course offering through the Early College Experience program. In this course, high school students can gain a strong foundation in essential components of drug therapy and key aspects of pharmacy practice. The plan is to offer more UConn courses through Early College Experience that lead to a pharmacy technician certification pathway for high school students, providing them with the tools and credentials required to work as certified pharmacy technicians. By establishing programs like these, we aim to provide students with meaningful opportunities to gain hands-on pharmacy experience and earn college credit early, helping to set them up for future success. We look forward to inspiring the next generation of pharmacists and sparking excitement for one of healthcare’s most vital professions.

 

Through partnerships with schools such as New Haven’s Hill Regional Career High School, Seymour High School, Norwich Free Academy, Glastonbury High School, and more, the School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences is inspiring the next generation of healthcare professionals and demonstrating the impact of pharmacy in communities across Connecticut. n

By Alexandra Torres Munoz, UConn ’25 (CAHNR) (CLAS)

 

On March 17, 2026, the UConn ECE Program and Math Faculty Coordinators launched a new event—and (hopefully!) a future annual tradition—the UConn ECE Integration Bee. After an initial attempt to host the event in 2025 was canceled due to scheduling challeng­es, the first-ever iteration this spring went un-BEE-lievably well. Approximately 60 students from 5 high schools attended, and we hope to see even more join the competition next year.

This event was inspired by UConn’s annual In­tegration Bee, hosted each fall by the American Mathematical Society (AMS) Graduate Student chapter of the Math Department. The com­petition is open to all undergraduate students to tackle some tricky integrals and to earn some cool prizes! The event is open to anyone, but it is strongly advised that anyone participating has completed (at least) Math 1132Q: Calculus II.

 

We decided to adapt this event into a friendly competition open to any UConn ECE Math students that are currently enrolled in Calculus II, and we hosted the event during UConn’s spring break to make campus travel a bit easier (besides, we figured the participants wouldn’t mind a day off school to go do extra hard math prob­lems, right? …right?).

 

The competition began with a written qualifying round open to all student attendees. The top scoring students were then invited to compete in the first round (the highest score was a 5 out of 10, which was truly impres­sive!), where they worked individ­ually at the whiteboard, competing in groups of six at a time, to solve staggeringly difficult integrals. The first to finish a problem correctly earned a point, and the best one or two students from each group moved to the next round.

 

The final round was a head-to-head match between Chidubem from Fairchild Wheeler High School and Tommy from Trumbull High School. Despite a few questions stumping both competitors, we were able to crown a champion!

 

Trophies were awarded for the top three finishers—first place went to Chidubem from Fairchild Wheeler High School, second place to Tom­my from Trumbull High School, and third place to Ted from Trumbull High School—along with some awe­some medals for the top 10 partici­pants (which hopefully helped take away the STING of defeat!).

 

Thank you so very much to the amaz­ing staff in the UConn ECE office for helping us to organize and run the event and thank you to all the instruc­tors and students who helped us make this first Integration Bee a resounding success. We look forward to hosting the event again in March 2027! Will the integrals be even more diabolical- you’ll have to find out then!

 

By Danielle DeRosa, Assistant Professor in Residence, Sport Management and UConn ECE Faculty Coordinator for Educational Leadership and Gemetta Neal Goulet, CREC Greater Academy of the Arts, EDLR 1162 Health & Education in Urban Communities UConn Instructor

 

At CREC Greater Hartford Arts Academy High School, Gemetta Neal Goulet, fond­ly known by her students as Mrs. G, has transformed her UConn course offered through Early College Experience course into a pathway to purpose. Beyond the opportunity for students to earn college credits by engaging in college course­work, Mrs. G uses the classroom as a space to bridge academic learning with real-world application. EDLR 1162: Health & Education in Urban Communities pro­vides a meaningful lens for students to examine topics like access to healthcare, mental health awareness, nutrition, and community wellness. Instead of learn­ing these concepts in isolation, students are encouraged to think critically about how these topics are experienced within their own lives, neighborhood, and larger society. This relevance increases engage­ment and gives their learning a deeper sense of value.

 

A major way that the coursework is brought to life is through the course’s service-learning com­ponent, which brings together learning from the course and engages students within their community. Rather than relying solely on traditional instruction, the course encourages students to investigate real problems, collaborate with peers, and create solutions that have tan­gible outcomes. Incorporating service-learning strengthens the connection between the classroom and the community by engaging students in mean­ingful experiences that address real community needs. Through collaboration with community partners, students deepen their learning while developing a greater sense of civic responsi­bility, empathy, and commitment to creating positive social im­pact.

 

Since its inception in the 2022-2023 academic year, students enrolled in EDLR 1162 have cre­ated projects that touch on mental health, opioid addiction, and obesity. Modeled in a gal­lery walk format, the students create a day of learning for their peers and the larger community. These projects push students to think beyond memorization—they analyze, create, and apply. Elke Hernandez, Instructional Coach, shares, “Mrs. G’s (UConn) ECE Health projects turn real-world health challenges—mental health, opioids, social media, and gambling, to name a few—into student-led action. Students design, plan, and execute every­thing from events to advertising and media. These projects bring the community together, foster collaboration across subjects, and build transferable skills while making complex health topics engaging, creative, and mean­ingful.”

 

Most recently, students who took EDLR 1162 in fall 2025 explored the impacts of youth gambling, with specific focus in better understanding how the nega­tive impacts of youth gambling are amplified when considering racial and socio-economic dis­parities. Not only did the students create posters to engage in a school-wide presentation for peers, administrators, and district leaders; they also had the opportunity to visit the State Capitol to meet with Representative McCarthy Vahey to share their research and experience in the course. Carter Stevens describes EDLR 1162 as “a class that matters.” Angeliz Rivera shares that EDLR 1162 “was different from my other classes because it focused more on real-world experiences instead of just textbook learning. It is more hands-on, allowing me to apply what I’ve learned in actual urban settings. It also emphasizes diversity, culture, and challenges in urban communities, which my other classes don’t focus on as much. Overall, it feels more practical because I’m solving real problems and reflecting on my own experiences.”

 

Through her innovative teaching, Mrs. G has created an educational experience for her students that allows them to explore issues that directly impact their communities while building the skills they need for life beyond high school. The service-learning component develops essential skills such as communication, teamwork, and time management. Students learn how to divide responsibilities, hold each other accountable, and present their ideas with confidence. These are the same skills they will need in college courses and future careers. Mrs. G shares, “What I appreciate most is watching students take ownership of their learning. When given the space to explore and create, they begin to see themselves as capable of making an impact. They are no longer just completing assignments—they are engaging with content that matters.

 

 

 

 

By Eduardo Urios-Aparisi, Associate Professor and Celinés Villalba-Rosado, Associate Professor, Literatures, Cultures, and Languages, UConn ECE Spanish Faculty Coordinators

 

 

On May 22, UConn ECE Spanish hosted our first event on the Storrs campus. More than 50 students from four high schools participated in the first ever UConn ECE Spanish Film Fest. The event was organized for students and teachers to come to cam­pus, watch a selection of short films, have a conversation with the directors of those shorts, and have the oppor­tunity to interact with students from other high schools in Connecticut.

 

The UConn ECE Executive Director, Christopher Todd, welcomed students from the following high schools and their instructors: East Lyme High School (Jessica Garcia), John F. Ken­nedy High School (Catalina Rincon), Lewis S. Mills High School (Pamela Thomas), and E.O. Smith High School (Amy Nocton). Chris emphasized the importance of this event in UConn ECE Spanish’s history. Event orga­nizers Celinés Villalba-Rosado and Eduardo Urios-Aparisi gave an over­view of the line-up of event activities and thanked not only the students for their participation but also film producer Ivonne Cotorruelo-Perez. She curated the films and moderated the post-screening conversation with the directors.

 

The four films were made by Caribbean directors and had a connection to the present situation in the Caribbean and the USA. We started by watching Ana y la distancia, (Cuba, 2024), directed by Hansel Porras García. It is an emotional short about a Cuban woman who lives in Florida and struggles with anxiety as her son is trying to join her in Florida by taking the dangerous route from Nicara­gua to the US border. DEPEYIZE, (República Dominicana, 2024) is a short directed by Pa­mela Bencosme about a young Haitian boy whose mother is taken back to Haiti by migration police and, alone, he is adopted by a family of poor fisher­men in the area. Mano Santa (Puerto Rican, 2020) is a short directed by Stephanie Camacho, that focuses on a gay man who escapes from his father and homophobic prejudices and takes refuge with his grandfather, a man who lives in the mountains in the interior of Puerto Rico and who practices non-conventional medicine. The final short, Parole (Cuba-USA, 2024), is a documentary that tells two stories: the life of the director, Láza­ro González, in San Francisco and Berkeley, California and the voice messages his mother and sister leave him in his phone. The film shows the contrast between the life of the director in the US and that of his family in Cuba.

The students noted questions in their handout after each short. The discussion that ensued exceeded our expectations. One by one, students came to the podium and asked the four directors very relevant and meaningful questions about the films. Some students from the Dominican Republic were particularly affected by Pamela Bencosme’s DEPEYIZE since they had lived or knew people in a similar situation. They asked about unusual elements like the repeated presence of a canary in a cage in the film Ana y la distancia. They wanted to know whether Lázaro González was finally able to meet his family. They also asked about the use of the camera in Parole and its connection with the other Cuban short, Ana y la distancia. They wondered about the presence of music and its narrative role in Mano Santa. The conversation was lively, and we felt it could have continued when we had to break for lunch.

 

While we were having lunch, we asked students to write down which was their favorite short and why and then to ask students from another school about their favorite film. The hall immediately came alive with young people talking amongst each other, discussing, and interacting, sharing their own tastes and interests. This was the perfect ending for the activity which was meant to engage, discuss, and learn from each other by reflecting on what movies allow us to experience.
The beauty of a short film is the capacity to create poetry and narratives with very few images, and the students showed great sensitivity towards the beautiful images, the characters, the glimpse into their lives, and demonstrated an interest in getting to know more about what happened to the people in the stories. We often have the need to continue the story with our imagination. Short movies are perfect tools to learn about language, culture, and storytelling.
The event was an excellent conclusion to a very successful year. We had a large number of certified teachers. By all accounts, the workshop by Dr. Dolores Juan-Moreno (Clark University) was excellent and we awarded the first UConn ECE Spanish language award to Sophia D’Angelo from Lyme-Old Lyme High School. We look forward to next year’s event.

 

By Sean Frederick Forbes, PhD and Luisana Duarte Armendáriz, Director and Graduate Assistant Director, Creative Writing Program

 

The theme of this year’s UConn ECE Summer Magazine “Beyond the Credits” is most fit- ting since it highlights the many opportunities available to student creative writers outside of the classroom. When I was a first-year college student in 1998 at Queens College, The City University of New York, I learned about the various creative writing contests, with generous cash prizes, and while I was terrified of submit- ting my poetry and prose for consideration, this process taught me the importance of professional development. While one may feel deeply vulner- able about submitting creative writing to con- tests, there’s a thrill that comes with organizing a five-page packet of poetry, sending it off, and the long, nervous waiting period for the winners to be announced. I often tell my undergraduate students to strongly consider submitting their writing to various contests that they are eligible for, and as my maternal grandmother used to tell me, “It’s like playing the lottery; there’s always a chance that you may actually win.”

 

This year the UConn ECE Wallace Stevens poetry contest received fifty-four poetry packets. My fellow judges, Luisana Duarte Armendáriz and Shelby Kreiger—both PhD candidates in English at UConn and are creative writers—and I selected three poetry packets by Iris Hida, Logan Roen, and Minh Ho as the first, second, and third prize winners respectively. On a Thursday afternoon in mid-February, Luisana, Shelby, and I held a Zoom meeting to discuss and select the winners, and after an hour of careful deliberating, the three of us were moved by the subjects and topics presented in all the submissions. There were three poetry packets that stood out to us the most due to the original language, tone, and voice expressed in the poems.

 

Iris Hida’s poem “The Freedom I Held Does Not Compare to the Spring: A Golden Shovel” employs an original poetic form that was invented in 2010 by Terrance Hayes as an homage Gwendolyn Brooks’s famous 1959 poem “We Real Cool.” The subtitle of Hida’s poem is taken from a quote by the Albanian poet Genc Leka who was executed in 1977 and serves as the last word in each line of the poem. This poetic form requires skill, concentration, and to make new meaning of the Leka’s quote. Hida uses the couplet form to allow the narrative of the poem to breathe, and the white space in between each stanza allows for the delivery of rich imagery such as “Silent, / pursed lips that curl when you / taste the citrus.”

 

Logan Roen’s poem “chicken noodle” relies heavily on monostich, a term derived from the ancient Greek, and a challenging yet rewarding poetic form in that the simple and direct language offers the reader intense brevity since there isn’t much room for elaboration in each line, thus the impact of the poem holds great emotional or philosophical weight. Roen uses lower case letters throughout to break from traditional grammar to create a more conversational and colloquial tone. The reader must consider how the title informs and relates to the narrative expressed in lines such as “and yet i’ve been told this is just soup. An occasionally aesthetic assortment / of the obscure and the obscene. i suppose time is the broth.”

 

Luisana notes that Minh Ho’s poem “organic mosaic” is, quintessentially, a memento mori poem. The line “and it is fleeting, for we are organic” encompasses the realist, yet appreciative tone that Ho manages to capture in a recounting of the decomposition process that humans go through in their daily lives. Addressing “the reader” directly, the first-person narrator offers a list of organic material hu- mans shed and gives a double and profound meaning to the line “the world we inhabit is human-made.” While the lines in this poem may seem morose at times, they also speak of a delicate balance in nature and remind us that we are dust and we all must go “back to the source.”

 

The Freedom I Held Does Not Compare to the Spring: A Golden Shovel (First Place)

By Iris Hida

 

“How long do you moan and be silent, you miserable heart… This spring didn’t even bloom for you” -Genc Leka, January 1971

My father bleeds history, tells me how
verses burgundy paper with long

 

ballads for change—how do
I feel their past agony? Where you

 

hold hands with grief, moan
at your own words and

 

suppress your spirit. Be
still at the round table. Silent,

 

pursed lips that curl when you
taste the citrus. That miserable

 

burn at the lick of the sickle’s heart

 

IRIS

Iris Hida is a senior at Rockville High School. This past summer she was at the Kelly Writers House Summer Workshop for Young Writers at the University of Pennsylvania and a mentee in the 2024 Adroit Journal Sum- mer Mentorship program. She will be attending Harvard University in the fall

chicken noodle (Second Place)

By Logan Roen

 

and she splits open, right down the middle.

 

i feel it, too, the meat of my body turning into unholy epithelial

 

layers flaking out, tasting the surplus of tainted oxygen.

 

what i feel, you feel, so you feel this, too. feel it. explode.

 

her disintegration, is it dramatic to you? now that nothing is how it belongs?

 

and yet i’ve been told this is just soup. an occasionally aesthetic assortment

 

of the obscure and the obscene. i suppose time is the broth?

 

i marinade with you, and you marinade with me,

 

and i love you, and you hate me,

 

and then comes the spoon.

 

LOGAN

Logan Roen is a senior at New Canaan High School, where he is Co-President of Spectator Literary Magazine. He has wanted to be a writer since he was 7, drafting his first piece of fiction in second grade. He plans to attend film school in the fall to study screenwriting.

 

Organic Mosaic (Third Place)

By Mihn Ho

 

i regret to inform the reader that they are shedding copious amounts of organic material.

 

dust? dead pieces of skin, formerly attached to you.

 

hair? your shower drain is graced by what once held to your scalp.

 

nails? hundreds, nay, thousands of clippings have (hopefully) made it to your trash.

 

the world we inhabit is human-made,

 

full of bright glass screens and plastic toys.

 

but even the greatest inventors are always leaving traces of who they are.

 

a fingerprint here, a footfall there.

 

the quietest person you know leaves a fleeting part of themself everywhere.

 

and it is fleeting, for we are organic.

 

forged metal may not decompose, and lord knows our plastic won’t,

 

but our traces will, the dead skin and hair and nails

 

our organic material will break down

 

day by day, hour by hour, minute by minute…

 

our bodies fall apart, and the nutrients used to make us, they return to the earth

 

we may try to halt the process, but it happens nonetheless.

 

organic material relinquishes its bond with us beings,

 

and goes back to the source.

 

MINH

Minh Ho is a high school senior from Stam-ford, Connecticut. In the fall, they will major in political science. They are passionate about education and the way words can connect people from all walks of life. Their free time is spent drawing, listening to mu- sic, and finding new ways to describe the clouds. Writing has always been a meaningful part of their life, and they enjoy discussing different works with friends.