Los Robles High School recently announced the winners of this year’s poetry writing contest for its upcoming book Finding Hope. The highest honor, Poet Laureate of 2015, was awarded to Joshua C. The Poet Laureate designation is awarded in recognition of the student whose portfolio of poems presents the highest degree of quality and originality.
Garnering first place in the competition for best theme poem also went to Joshua C. for his poem Misunderstood. Second place for best theme poem was awarded to Tyler A. and Juan G. earned honorable mention.
Los Robles High School is operated by the Santa Barbara County Education Office (SBCEO) at Los Prietos Boys Camp, a juvenile detention facility for boys that is operated by the county Probation Department.
The high school first compiled and printed bookstore-quality poetry books in 2009 and has privately published a new poetry book annually ever since. Special thanks go to Jan Clevenger and the Solvang Rotary Club, whose generosity underwrites the books’ printing.
As part of the poetry unit, students study an array of poetry forms, including haiku, limerick, and free verse. Each year’s book also has a theme, and students are encouraged to pen the best poem based on that year’s theme.
Each student who composes at least one poem of sufficient quality and effort will have it printed in the book and be awarded a paperback copy of Finding Hope. Winners of the contests are given hardcover copies of the books.
Awarding the designation of the Camp’s Poet Laureate began in 2013 after a sign was erected at the site of the original camp. The sign is in recognition of William Stafford, who worked at the Los Prietos Camp as a conscientious objector during World War II, when the camp was a Civilian Public Service camp.
Stafford did much of the same work the boys at the current camp do – assisting the forestry service in trail clearance, working in the kitchen, as well as community service projects. In his spare time, Stafford often had a pen in hand and composed both prose and poetry. He eventually wrote a book entitled Down in my Heart about his days at Los Prietos, and in 1970 Stafford was named what is now known as the Poet Laureate of the United States.
It was after seeing the sign and learning about the accomplishments of Stafford and his relationship to the original Camp that Los Robles High School decided to select a poet laureate. Each January the Camp’s current poet laureate is invited by the Friends of William Stafford to read his poetry at their annual gathering held at the site of the original camp on the anniversary of Stafford’s birth.
