Jocelyn Xu’s Poetry Recognized
Chatham High School sophomore Jocelyn Xu won the top honor in the Regional Scholastic Writing Awards, the Gold Key. She won in the category of Poetry Writing for her poem titled “The Weight of Melanin.” Jocelyn was also awarded the Silver Key in Poetry Writing for her poem titled “My Father Plays the Piano.” She received Honorable Mention for the following poems: “The Garden Path,” “Postscript,” “Eulogy to Peonies,” and “When We Fold: A Guide for the Colorblind.”
Jocelyn’s freshman English teacher, Rachel Ruffner, said, “When our world shifted last spring and we were thrown into remote learning, Jocelyn took this time to become immersed in her writing and developed a passion for poetry. In the midst of chaos, she has used poetry as an outlet to process and convey her feelings about being quarantined along with the unfortunate social injustices that continue to permeate society. These awards are well-deserved, and I am so proud that Jocelyn has been recognized for her writing talent.” Gold Key winners’ pieces will move on to be judged at the national level.
Photo by School District of the Chathams
