Talent Spotlight, Balsam Year 7

We are so proud of Balsem in Year 7, who has been Specially Commended at the prestigious 2026 Keats-Shelley House Poetry Prize for Schools. Competing in the English Poems/Middle Schools category, Balsem’s poem, 'Threads', stood out to the judges for its creativity and voice.

Threads - Interconnection

We think we walk alone sometimes,
Just footsteps on a quiet street,
Head down, music in our ears,
Our own small world on repeat.
But look a little closer,
Every step lands where others stood,
Every path we choose to take,
Was shaped by someone else’s “I think I could.”
A laugh echoes from yesterday,
A word stays longer than we know,
And grows roots in someone else’s story.
We are threads in something bigger,
Stitched through moments we don’t see,
Tied in ways we can’t untangle,
You to me, and me to we.
Because the world is made of ‘together’,
Even when it feels apart,
And every single connection,
Starts with one small human heart.

Balsem already serves our community as the Year 7 Class Rep.  We couldn't be prouder of this achievement. Balancing student leadership with such high-level creative writing is no small feat!