Fort Bend Independent School District NEWS RELEASE FROM COMMUNITY RELATIONS Keryn Miles, Communications Specialist keryn.miles@fortbendisd.com    281.634.1100

**  FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE  **

Nine Talented Winners Named in Annual Middle School Poetry Slam

FORT BEND ISD ― Nine talented Fort Bend ISD middle school students were named winners of the Second Annual District Poetry Slam for Middle School Students. Sponsored by FBISD’s Educational Technology Department, the Poetry Slam invited students from each middle school in the district to compete by creating and delivering their own original poems.

The Poetry Slam, which was presented via distance learning technology, included four rounds of competition. Ten students from nine middle schools competed in Round One. The top three students from each school then advanced to Round Two of the competition. At the end of the third round, 24 students went on to compete in the final round. The final round was hosted by Garcia Middle School, with Quail Valley and Hodges Bend Middle Schools serving as distance sites for viewing.

Students advancing to the final round were:

• Crockett Middle School – Vanessa Eqwuatu, Amanda Ford, Taylor Meredith
• First Colony Middle School – Ryan Brophy, Mason Bynes
• Garcia Middle School – Mariya Fatakdawala, Tiffany Ike, Steven Jackson, Peter Quinn, Marissa Valdez
• Hodges Bend Middle School – Carolyn Nguyen
• Lake Olympia Middle School – Brittani Collins, Koya Sowells
• McAuliffe Middle School – MyUnique Collins, Alexis Cruz, Gabrielle Turner
• Missouri City Middle School – Changaia Kelly, Dajernae Thomas, Braxton Williams
• Quail Valley Middle School – Jayla Johnson, Timia Whitsey
• Sugar Land Middle School – Kenyon Boyd, Nadeem Khan, Lianne Martin

Winners of the Second Annual District Poetry Slam for Middle School Students were:

Eighth Grade

• First Place Winners: Tiffany Ike (Garcia Middle School) and Lianne Martin (Sugar Land Middle School)
• Second Place Winner: Steven Jackson (Garcia Middle School)
• Third Place Winner: Peter Quinn (Garcia Middle School)

Seventh Grade

• First Place Winners: Mason Bynes (First Colony Middle School) and Timia Whitsey (Quail Valley Middle School)
• Second Place Winners: Mariya Fatakdawala (Garcia Middle School) and Marissa Valdez (Garcia Middle School)
• Third Place Winner: Braxton Williams (Missouri City Middle School)

All winners received plaques and gift cards.

Photo 1: Shown with their teachers are eighth-grade winners (front row, from left): Erick Quinn, Steven Jackson, Lianne Martin, and Tiffany Ike.

Photo 2: Seventh-grade first place winners are (from left): Mason Bynes and Timia Whitsey.

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