Patrick Campbell, Gr. 12, was named the 2010 River of Words Environmental Poetry and Art Contest Bioregion Prize Winner for a poem he wrote about watersheds titled “Old Country.” River of Words is a California-based, nonprofit organization that seeks to encourage connections between creative young people and their natural environment.

According to their website, award-winning artwork and poetry “is exhibited around the globe and is seen by millions of people each year, both in person, and reprinted in magazines, books, annual reports and other media.” Campbell wrote his poem while a student in Jennifer Siraganian’s Creative Writing class last fall. Campbell accepted his award at a ceremony on April 17 at the San Francisco Public Library.

“The award ceremony was lovely,” reported Siraganian, who added that Pamela Michael, River of Words executive director and co-founder, described Campbell’s  poem as the strongest from the thousands of entries received from Bay Area students. In addition to enjoying publication in the River of Words annual anthology, Campbell has been invited to the national awards ceremony at the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C., in June.