Fountain Valley Announces 16th Annual City-wide “Athenaea” Poetry Competition Winners (Photo) -04/15/25

And the results are in…. Students from six high schools across Colorado Springs submitted nearly 150 entries to this year’s city-wide Athenaea poetry competition hosted annually by Fountain Valley School (FVS). The following English and Multi-lingual Award recipients will be honored at an intimate reading and awards ceremony in the Hacienda living room—located on FVS’s 1,100-acre boarding and day campus in Colorado Springs—on Tuesday, April 22, 2025, beginning at 6:15 p.m.

 

English Category

1st place: ?Immortal Love: The Gift of a Poet by Charlize LeClaire ’27 (Cheyenne Mountain High School)

2nd place: I Don’t Believe in God by Sarah Holman ’26 (FVS) 

3rd place: Life in the Vineyards by Kimberly Barker ’27 (The Colorado Springs School)

Honorable Mention: Three Pieces of Jewelry by Lily Christofferson ’25 (FVS)

 

Multi-lingual Category

1st place: Koto in the Moonlight by Ryunosuke Kobayashi ’26 (FVS)

2nd place: Gentle Arrival of Spring by Taka Omori ’28 (FVS)

3rd place: Surros del Bosque by Noah Gouy ’25 (FVS)

Honorable Mention: The Sounds of the Ocean by Santiago Bedoya-Correa ’27 (FVS) 
 

Fountain Valley’s 16th Annual City-wide Athenaea Poetry Competition, which included cash prizes and the chance to be published in the spring edition of the School’s award-winning student-produced literary magazine, was judged once again by the 6th Pikes Peak Region Poet Laureate Ashley Cornelius, who critiqued each submission for its symbolism, use of metaphors, creativity, and more. 
 

“There is exquisite talent across this city,” said Cornelius. “The winners showcased strong use of literary devices, interesting topics, and engaging vocabulary. What a beautiful way to celebrate National Poetry Month!”

 

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Founded in 1930, Fountain Valley School of Colorado is a boarding and day school for grades 9-12. Situated on 1,100 acres of rolling prairie in Colorado Springs, the School provides a rigorous, global curriculum in academics, arts, athletics, and the outdoors to develop young adults who are courageous, open-minded, self-reliant, curious, and compassionate. Enrollment is approximately 240 students from 20 countries, 26 states, and the Pikes Peak Region. www.fvs.edu