PRAIRIEVILLE – This year’s annual Beta Club National Convention held June 13-16 in Orlando, Fla. featured competitors from Ascension Parish.
One of the students competing, Paula Gomez of Prairieville, placed third in the national poetry competition.
She recently completed eighth grade at Prairieville Middle and will be a freshman at Dutchtown High School in the fall.
Gomez placed second in the state poetry competition prior to advancing to the national contest.
Prairieville Middle eighth grade teacher Brenda Monsour, who also serves as Beta Club sponsor, attended the national convention along with her daughter, Rachel Monsour, who competed in the art competition.
While in central Florida, they were able to visit attractions like Walt Disney World and Sea World.
The 13th annual national convention featured a variety of competitions for Beta students. Activities range from academic contests to quiz bowls to talent competitions.
The convention brings together thousands of Junior and Senior Beta Club members from across the country.
This year’s convention theme was “Lights! Camera! Beta! Scene 75” to mark the National Beta Club’s 75th anniversary.
In the poetry competition, members were given a subject and an hour to write. Points are awarded for how inventive it is, originality, unique format and following the rules.
The topic for the national competition was the “Message of a Smile.”
Gomez competed against about 17 other poets who advanced from their respective states.
“I was very confident in it,” she said about her national competition entry.
In the state level competition, the topic was “Teacher Appreciation,” a topic she said she had been familiar with writing.
Gomez said she began writing poetry in elementary school, although she had not written outside of school.
She said her teachers began to encourage her to delve further into her talent.
Gomez said she plans to organize her work into a collection, and possibly compile a book of her poems.
