2025 Annual Brooks Poetry Prize Competition

The Brooks Poetry Prize competition is a storied Winsor tradition dating back to 1909 that puts students’ public speaking skills front and center.

Nine students stepped on stage in the David E. and Stacey L. Goel Theater as the final round of the competition got underway. English Department Head Courtney Jackson introduced the annual event, which encourages students to read poetry, practice elocution, and develop their oratory abilities. 

The preliminary rounds are held during English classes, where every Class IV and Class V student chooses a poem to recite. The guidelines encourage students to “look for a poem to which you genuinely respond.” One student from each class section is chosen to compete in the final round and present their poem in front of the school at assembly. While Class IV and Class V students recite a verse of their choosing, Class V students additionally offer a reflection elaborating on why they selected a particular poem. 

Readers are judged on their degree of thorough understanding, clear articulation, and expression. The 2025 judges of the Brooks Poetry Prize competition include Director of College Counseling Jennifer Graham, History Faculty Michael Mirelman, and English Faculty Ned Henningson. The Class IV and Class V winners will be announced during the annual Awards Celebration in June.

The 2025 finalists included:

Class IV

• Siri Erlingsson ’29: “Phenomenal Woman” by Maya Angelou
• Helen Huang ’29: “Invisible Children” by Mariana Llano
• Sophia Kennedy ’29: “Listening Into Deep Space” by Diane Thiel
• Zola Tierney ’29: “In Blackwater Woods” by Mary Oliver

Class V

• Sisi Ansari ’28: “What the Living Do” by Marie Howe
• Julica Hatabu ’28: “For the Bird Singing before Dawn” by Kim Stafford
• Anna Oh ’28: “Grey Skies” by Elsa Gidlow
• Angeliki Agape Volandes ’28: “The giver (for Berdis)” by James Baldwin
• Caitlin Weeks ’28: “From Blossoms” by Li-Young Lee

The Brooks Poetry Prize competition was established by Clara G. Brooks—a “great friend” of Miss Winsor’s. Brooks funded the reading and writing prizes in 1913. Additionally, her daughter and granddaughters later attended Winsor including Rachel Brooks Jackson ’02, Madeline Jackson Emery ’35, and Clara Jackson Murfey ’39. The winners, one from Class IV and one from Class V, will be announced at the Awards Celebration in June.