Lower Merion School District was well represented in the winner’s circle of the 2026 Charlotte Miller Simon Poetry Contest, sponsored by the Ardmore Free Library, as seven students were recognized for their exemplary submissions.

Among the highlights of the competition, Leah Shusterman, a seventh-grade student at Black Rock Middle School, took top honors in the Teen Division for her poem Steel Snake. Lower Merion High School sophomore Ella Barlev earned second place in the Teen Division for Ode to the Attic, while Welsh Valley Middle School sixth-grader Evelyn Dizio earned second place in the Children’s Division for Power of the Pen.

Congratulations to all of the District’s honorees!

Winners will be recognized and have an opportunity to share their work at a Poetry Celebration on Sunday, March 15, 2026, at 2:00 p.m. in the Board of Commissioners Meeting Room on the second floor of the Lower Merion Township Administration Building, located at 75 E. Lancaster Avenue in Ardmore. The winning poets will read their poems aloud, and community members of all ages are welcome to attend.

Established through a family endowment, the Charlotte Miller Simon Poetry Contest honors the legacy of a devoted poetry enthusiast and encourages writers of all ages to write and share their original work.