Molly McNamara and Kathy Stanley. ‘That Was Then, This Is Now,” a poem written by Molly McNamara, an eighth-grade student at Saint James School in Red Bank, was the winner in the seventh/eighth-grade category of a countywide poetry contest for students in grades K-8.
An awards ceremony held in the children’s book section of Barnes & Noble was attended by Molly and her English teacher, Kathy Stanley.
The contest rules were to choose a book and read it. Then, write an original poem based on the book. The Monmouth County Reading Council sponsored the contest. In addition to receiving an award and a small gift from MCRC, the poets will participate in an author signing. Each winner will autograph her poem in the program for all attendees, a literary touch that adds some additional excitement to the day for the winners.