The Niagara Catholic District School Board is proud to share that a poem written by Molly
Turcotte, a Grade 6 student at Canadian Martyrs Catholic Elementary School in St. Catharines,
was one of 46 poems, plays, short stories, articles, and other projects included in the Ontario
English Catholic Teachers’ Association’s (OECTA) annual writing anthology.
Molly was one of 238 students whose submissions progressed from the local to the provincial
level. Hundreds more students had work submitted to their local competitions.
Molly’s 10-stanza poem, The Light of Advent, was written as a project in class ahead of
Christmas. It begins by exploring the themes of the four weeks of Advent (hope, peace, joy, and
love), then transitions into the darker side of human nature.
“It was just a piece of schoolwork,” Molly said earlier this year when she learned her
submission was moving on from the local level. “I came up with the idea of doing the
opposites (of the themes of Advent), thinking maybe I’d get a better mark.”
In announcing a local winner, a media release from OECTA’s Niagara Elementary Unit
describes Molly’s poem as “a glorious piece of writing describing where you can find,
recognize and know hope, peace, joy and love.”
Chair of the Board Danny Di Lorenzo praised Molly for her commitment to creating such an
insightful poem.
“Molly has shared with us the hours of time she dedicated to writing and revising her work to
ensure it met her own very high standards,” said Chair Di Lorenzo. “Her hard work is evident
in the poem, and in having it selected to be included in the OECTA Anthology. On behalf of
Niagara Catholic’s Board of Trustees, congratulations, Molly!”
Director of Education Camillo Cipriano also congratulated Molly on her outstanding
accomplishment.
“Congratulations to Molly for writing a piece of poetry that really shows the depth of her
writing ability and a wisdom beyond her years,” said Director Cipriano. “We are all very proud
of you for your commitment and dedication to your craft and for being selected from more
than 200 writers in this provincial anthology.”