Bermuda Blue Halo Contest Winners

In April, Bermuda Blue Halo held its first writing contest. Children from all over the island submitted entries, making the task of selecting the winners rather difficult for the judges. However, the judges were unanimous in their selection of the winners and a few of the winning entries are posted below. 

First Prize for Poetry

By Gabrielle Reid

“Whispers of the Sea”

I hear the ocean whispering to me;
And this is what it said to me:
I'm going to say something you might expect;
And if you don't fine but have some respect! ​

Why? Why? Why? Do you hurt me?
You trash me and ignore me?
As if you don't care
You dump plastic and bottles in me –
do you think that's fair? ​

Don't cover your ears and say you don't hear me cry,
Because for all you care - I could dry up and die.
I have stopped waiting for you to change, and I'm tired and through,
Now my last request to you, tell the people how I feel – but can I trust you? ​

As the ocean's voice died away,
I really wanted it to stay. ​
For the statement the ocean was trying to make was this,
Have we gone too far with our trash and are we too late?

Second Prize for Poetry

Hannah Horsfield

"A Sudden Drop"

The sound of the sea can be heard, groaning moaning and whispering dark secrets.
The waves are let loose and they throw themselves against the rocks, making the ground beneath quietly rumble and sigh.
The wind begins to howl and her blond hair whips her face,
Her eyes squint in the sun, as she tries to make out the height off this obstacle she must overcome.
She takes a deep breath and a quick glance down,
Looking out toward the horizon, her muscles tense as her arms begin to rise.
The rocks dig into her bare feet,
The wind cools the sweat on her brow.
As she lets her body fall forward her heart and stomach are left behind,
The sensation of adrenaline hits her and the sudden realization that there is nothing but empty air.
Hand locked tightly above her head, she plunges into the dark deep blue water,
Allowing the sea to engulf her and to calm her heart and to cool her body.
Once at the surface she looks up at the jagged cliff rising high above the surface,
Satisfied, a challenge overcome, with a sudden drop.  

Third Prize for Poetry

Amori Simons

When I look at the ocean I think of a fluffy blue pillow.
70% of our planet is covered by that blue pillow.
I just wish I could discover new creatures and learn more about the ones I’ve seen.
The place I love to sit when I am mad is near the water, on the rocks.
Sometimes I take bread and a line with me. When I don't fish, I feed the fish. When I do fish, I catch them just to see the beauty of their scales, mouth, lips, eyes and body.
I love that beauty.
After I've seen them, I let them go.
I just wish I could see more.​

Winning Essay

Nasir Simmons

To me, the ocean means life. It means a place where all beings can live in unity, mammals or non-mammals. It means a place where a delicate eco-system is run entirely by the cycle of a community. The ocean is not just a body of water where fish eat each other and where sand is, it is a delicate eco-system where sea-creatures thrive. These reefs are not just sand clumped together; they are the homes and very lives of these creatures. It hurts me to see when careless people decide to throw their trash in the ocean. This can maim or even kill innocent sea-creatures. This is not just Americans, or any specific type of people, it is the entire human race. We all need to take responsibility and help our friends in the ocean.​

As we all know, the ocean is a habitat. Define a habitat. Is it a house? A habitat is where any living being lives. If your home was filled with trash by millions of people you do not even know, how would you feel? Like your home means nothing? Like people have no respect for you as a living being? It is the worst feeling in the word, probably the universe. The ocean is their home, almost like another country and we should respect that. I remember when I first went to the United States of America; I was disgusted with the quality of the beaches and bays.​

The wildlife that was possibly destroyed using the harmful materials carelessly discarded by us humans. If we leave the eco-system alone, we can moderate fishing and harvesting of endangered species. Every little bit helps. A clean-up helps. If we lend a helping hand at every convenience, like picking up a piece of trash if it's on the floor, we can save our planet.

​ The ocean is not just the president's problem or the premier's, it is entirely our problem. Gone is the time of deflection, now we as people must take it upon ourselves to clean the ocean and restore it to its pureness. Moderation is vital if we wish to live in a utopian society. If we can just use less for more, walk down to the store and be less prodigal in our life styles.

Second Place Essay

Samuel Bleeker

"Blue Halo"

The ocean is important to me because fish live there and we can also play in it. The ocean means that you can have fun but still take care of it. I think people should not use any type of net to fish because it wipes out the fish population and hurts other animals like turtles and whales.

I love the million different types of fish and plants that live in the most wonderful place on Earth. The ocean! From Starfish to whales to Bream to eel. I love the ocean. You can go swimming, diving, rowing and sailing.

I look at the ocean watching fish jump out of the water. They jump high and feel happy. It makes me feel happy too. I feel happy, sad and sometimes scared.

I like the cool but scary fish that are like ten thousand feet down, like the Lantern Fish, Pelican eel and Angler Fish. I LOVE THE OCEAN!

Thired Place Essay

Carlos Sousa

"My Feelings For The Sea"

I think the sea is important because there are creatures that live there. It means to me that you save the animals. Like the animals in the Sargasso Seaweed. They include baby crabs, baby fish and lots more.

You need to save the sea turtles too. If you throw trash out into the sea, such as plastic bags, the sea turtles will mistake it for a jellyfish. They will eat it and die. Sea turtles are very, very sweet.

I feel that the sea has lots and lots of creatures that are almost extinct. A lot of people are now trying to catch sharks for their fins. They say it’s because they kill people. They only kill about 35 people a year, but people kill hundreds of sharks.

We should save the sea. Especially the Sargasso Sea, coral reefs, and so on. There are a lot of creatures in the seaweed, coral reefs and other kinds of places.

I think those big nets are inappropriate! Those big nets catch thousands of fish. That is way too many fish! Like OMG! (Oh my gosh!) Our sea needs to be protected. People from other countries are coming to our waters with huge nets and taking our fish.

If you keep doing this, when we grow up, we probably won’t have those lovely creatures in the ocean.​