Whitney Winders, Colony High School

Congratulations to Colony High School junior Whitney Winders, this week’s Mat-Su Borough School District Student of the Week.

After winning the Mat-Su Borough School District’s Poetry Out Loud event Feb. 9, for the second year in a row, Winders, of Wasilla, won the district competition. She went on to win third place at the state competition March 27 at the Juneau Arts and Culture Center. She earned runner-up honors in the 2011 state Poetry Out Loud event.

People can hear Winders perform, along with the rest of the regional winners, free at 2 p.m., April 15 at Palmer Public Library.

Featured local poets include Gretchen Diemer, Julie LeMay, Paul Morley and Regional Poetry OutLoud winners Tong, Thao, Jill Hazlitt and Winders.

Superintendent Deena Paramo and the entire Mat-Su Borough School District honor Winders as this week’s MSBSD Student of the Week.