Recently, Arrowhead English teacher, Terri Carnell, entered in a national poetry contest and won. Carnell won $750 from the Sejong Cultural Society’s national Sijo contest.

Carnell said, “I’m not sure, I was thinking maybe buying a new patio door for my family…I know it’s not cool or anything but it’s something I’ve been wanting and needing for a while.”

Carnell also says that she was very surprised to have won and thanks English teacher Elizabeth Jorgensen for showing her the contest and about the form of poetry itself. The type of poem that Mrs. Carnell was talking about was SIJO. 

SIJO poetry is a poem that consists of three lines, each containing fourteen to sixteen syllables in each line. All three lines tell a story with the first line introducing the storyline, with line two presenting a theme or problem. Finally, the third and final line wraps up the story or adds a twist to leave the reader wondering. 

While Carnell won in the adult division, she also had a student win a prize. Senior student Abigail Growth took home a prize of $50 for being honorable mention in the pre-college division.

The Sejong Cultural Society’s goal is to advance awareness and understanding of the Korean’s cultural heritage amongst people in the United States. The society has three different competitions: the music competition, the writing competition, and the music composition competition.