05/21/2026
North Springs Freshmen Win National Poetry Contest, Earn Spots in Historic MLK Jr. Rose Garden
The Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historical Park and Preservation District and International World Peace Rose Gardens selected two North Springs High School Freshman Academy students as winners in their prestigious Inspirational Messages of Peace Contest. The winners were chosen from 4330 student entries nationwide.
Congratulations to Escarlett Lopez-Adame, who won for her poem, “The World Dream” and Sharon Omorodion, who was selected for her poem, “Living Waters of Peace.”
North Springs was the only high school with overall winners. There are now three North Springs students recognized with plaques in the Rose Garden in the last two years. Principal Hanson noted, "I have amazing teachers who are helping talented students raise their powerful voices!"
North Springs' Freshman Academy also boasts six honorable mentions in this contest:
Audrielle Halliburton for her poem, “Calm Words”
Lincoln Wright for his poem, “Neverending Peace”
Serenity R. Jackson for her poem, “Fine Lines”
Ashley Vega-Aguirre for her poem, “This is America”
Antonio Ezell for his poem, “Peacefully Declaring Peace”
Shelby Gibbons-McCrory for her poem, “Peace is the Future”
Students and their families attended the award ceremony at Ebenezer Baptist Church and had their pictures taken in the rose garden. Escarlett and Sharon each read their poems from the Ebenezer Baptist Church pulpit. In addition, their poetry will be engraved on and permanently displayed on plaques in the Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historical Park Rose Garden in Atlanta.
We're so proud of these members of our Freshman Academy for these impressive recognitions and wins. Thanks to Mrs. Kelly Olson, AP Human Geography teacher, who led the initiative for North Springs 9th-grade academy students to participate in this contest.
Sandy Springs, Georgia: City News Fulton County Schools