WHEREAS, The Youth Poet Laureate position was established in 2013 by the Office of Arts, Culture and the Creative Economy (OACCE) to compliment the City's Poet Laureate Program; and
WHEREAS, The purpose of the Youth Poet Laureate Program is to provide young people with the opportunity to develop and showcase their talents in poetry; and
WHEREAS, Soledad Alfaro-Allah, a Mount Airy resident and 10th grade student at Philadelphia's Science Leadership Academy, was named Philadelphia's Youth Poet Laureate by Helen Haynes, Chief Cultural Officer for the OACCE; and
WHEREAS, The selection of the Youth Poet Laureate is determined by the Youth Poet Laureate Governing Committee in conjunction with Poet Laureate Frank Sherlock; and
WHEREAS, Soledad Alfaro-Allah was inspired to write poetry by Denice Frohman, a renowned poet who came and spoke to her ninth-grade drama class in 2012.
WHEREAS, As Philadelphia's Youth Poet Laureate, Soledad Alfaro-Allah will have the opportunity to be mentored by Poet Laureate Frank Sherlock while encouraging her classmates to hone their interest in poetry; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF PHILADELPHIA, That Council does hereby congratulate and honor Soledad Alfaro-Allah for being named Philadelphia's Youth Poet Laureate.
FURTHER RESOLVED, That an Engrossed copy of this resolution be presented to Soledad Alfaro-Allah as evidence of the sincere sentiments of this legislative body.
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