Ode to young wordsmiths

Entries for the this year's Dorothea MacKellar Poetry Awards have reached unprecedented numbers.

The annual poetry competition calls on school students from across the nation to apply their metaphoric and rhythmic thinking to a suggested topic or one of their own choosing.

Given the standard of entries in the national writing competition is so exceptional, it's heartening to find that the school that has earnt itself quite a reputation over the past two years is none other than Chatswood Public School.

Last year Chatswood took out the Best Overall School in the competition, and whilst they were not victorious at the competition this year, they received the judges' commendation for having the highest overall standard of entries. Chatswood Public's librarian Yvonne Lewis says the secret to Chatswood's success is, "We write together. When it's time to write poetry we all write poetry together and we share. The teachers see themselves as co-learners."

In the highly competitive area of literary excellence, to find that a public school has been credited with such an honour is gratifying for the less prestigious players in the education game. The competition is open to selective schools and larger private schools with seemingly inexhaustible resources.

With Chatswood Public featuring so heavily in the competition it raises questions concerning the literary credentials of high-end private schools, especially considering the proliferation of private and selective schools in the Sydney Metropolitan area. Perhaps there simply is not enough encouragement or interest? With 15,771 entries in the 2005 competition it seems unlikely.

Lewis believes it's about making literary accomplishments equal alongside athletic ones that helps change the students' attitudes. "We have a literary honour board in our school that sits next to the sports trophies. Any sort of literature award or competition is considered as being prestigious."

The practice of displaying literary awards as equal counterparts to sports trophies may be the aesthetic incentive that students require to take the plunge into the literary field. But while literary pursuits may be encouraged alongside sports, the social pressure to participate in physical activites rather than debating or writing groups is not so forgiving. Lewis believes it's all about perspective, "This is the thing. It's not seen as something daggy, it's seen as cool. The writers at our school are seen as cool. They're not afraid to put themselves out there."