Fort senior Aidan Navarro won the National Honor Society’s Fall Writing Contest last month. The contest, which is held annually, prompts students to submit either a story or a piece of art about autumn.
For the writing section of the contest, Navarro submitted an expressive poem. He aimed to “tackle the beginning and end of the autumn season” by incorporating “the ideal scenery of an autumn night with leaves and nature withering away as the nights grow long and cold.”
The poem included autumnal imagery that evoked the emotions typically associated with the fall season. He hoped his descriptive entry would “suggest that endings, while they may [be] rough, they can be calm and peaceful, carrying a beauty even while silence fills the air.” The message behind the work resonates with the change of the seasons as the weather cools.
“With our school being surrounded by the water and countless parks and trees, it [gave] me great opportunities to sit down and write my feelings and thoughts down,” Navarro said, explaining that his walks to and from school inspired his winning piece. “Those feelings and thoughts I then transcribed into poetry.”
Last year, Navarro lacked the confidence to submit his work for the Spring Writing Contest, but was encouraged and eventually convinced by a friend to enter this season’s. This time, Navarro was less worried and doubtful.
“I didn’t fully care to win or lose, as I just felt happy entering a piece of work,” he said. “By entering my work, I gained more confidence in my writing and creativity.”
Navarro faced some roadblocks when figuring out how to start the poem, such as struggling to create a rhyme scheme. Navarro quickly overcame these obstacles by going outside and talking to his friends for reassurance and inspiration. He credits his friends with motivating him to complete the poem.
He now hopes to pay that support and inspiration forward.
“A tip I would give [students interested in entering the contest] is to give it your all,” Navarro said. “Everyone is going to have some sort of blockage at one point; it’s bound to happen.”
Navarro plans to enter more writing competitions moving forward. Although he was grateful for the prize (a $25 gift card), he appreciated the boost of pride and practice he obtained from entering. This contest yielded a valuable lesson: “It’s okay to ask for help and put yourself out there,” he told The Pilot.
