01-19-2005 The City of South Bend Announces Halina Poetry Prize

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The City of South Bend Announces Halina Poetry Prize Page 1 of 2 � v%• 'Building a 21St Century City " ' rs Stephen J. Luecke, Mayor RELEASE FROM: FOR RELEASE: OFFICE OF MAYOR LUECKE WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 19, 2005 The City of South Bend Announces Halina Poetry Prize The City of South Bend is pleased to announce that the first annual Halina Poetry Prize will be presented by Mayor Stephen J. Luecke at his State of the City Address on Monday, January 24, 2005 at 6:00 p.m. in Century Center's Recital Hall. The Halina Poetry Prize, a poetry contest for high school students, was designed to showcase area student's literary talent and to honor South Bend's Sister City, Czestochowa, Poland. "The Halina Poetry Prize gives high school students from public, parochial and private schools an opportunity to express themselves and be recognized for their outstanding skills," stated Mayor Luecke. "The contest will also help build and strengthen the connection area youth feel to our Sister City, Czestochowa. It is through international relations like these that cities can build social, economic, and cultural ties that link individuals across thousands of miles, and help us peacefully to embrace our differences" A total of 244 entries were received from students representing seven South Bend high schools including Adams, Clay, Riley, Washington, Community Baptist Christian School, Trinity School at Greenlawn, and Rabbi Naftali Riff Yeshiva. A committee of community members anonymously judged the entries and selected a first place winner and two honorable mentions in each category, grades 9-10 and 11-12. The Halina Poetry Prize will be awarded to one of the first place winners. Each first place winner will receive $300 and honorable mention award winners will receive $100. The top 20 poems in each age category have also been selected for inclusion in the 2005 Halina Poetry Prize Chapbook. The City of South Bend would like to thank the sponsors of the Halina Poetry Prize 2004-2005 contest for their generosity. Sponsors include the University of Notre Dame Nanovic Institute for European Studies, Indiana University South Bend International Programs Fund, The Public Education Foundation, Chopin Fine Arts Club and Erasmus Books. Since its inception in 1957 by President Eisenhower, the Sister City program has furthered international understanding and cooperation. Czestochowa has been South Bend's Sister City since 1992 when former Mayor Joe Kernan established the relationship after a visit to Eastern Europe. Mayor Kernan continued to strengthen this program throughout his tenure as mayor. Mayor Luecke has done the same and has visited our Sister City with representatives from our community. Czestochowa has also sent delegations to South Bend as recent as the summer of 2004. The Halina Poetry Prize was named in honor of Halina Poswiatowska who was born in Czestochowa on May 9, 1935. She wrote poetry from a very young age and published three volumes before her untimely death at the age of 32. Her poetry is still highly regarded in Poland. The Halina Poetry Prize Committee Chair is Dr. Gabrielle Robinson, IUSB International Programs, and members include Mike Amato, "No Exit' magazine, Nancy Botkin, IUSB English Department, Conrad Damian, Washington High School, Jacquee Dickey, Representative of Studio Art Classes, Howard Dukes, South Bend Tribune, Mary Sue Freitag, Chopin Fine Arts Club, Bonny Hoover, Clay High School, Patricia Jones, South http://www.ci.south-bend.in.us/Press/Releases 2005/011505 halina.htm 1/13/2006