Yeshiva student wins poetry award

By Mary L. Grady

Northwest Yeshiva High School student, Daniele Natali Goldberg, was recently selected as a second place winner in a national poetry competition through an organization called Wasatch Academy. Her poem, ``Oxygen,'' was published in a book called ``Stars of Tomorrow.'' There were 6,000 entries in the contest.

Goldberg, was born in Washington, D.C., but moved to Israel when she was five. She and her family returned to the U.S. and settled on Mercer Island two-and-a-half years ago. Goldberg and her twin brother, Adam, attended Islander Middle School.

The key to her success is writing and writing often, the teen said.

Goldberg said that she has kept a diary since kindergarten, but its focus has now shifted from chronicling events and travels to recording thoughts and ideas. A diary with depth.

After having Arlene Naganawa as an English and writing teacher in the eighth grade at Islander, Goldberg writes daily.

``Ms. Naganawa said to always have a book next to me to write in,'' she recalled. ``Sometimes now I wake up in the morning and have a whole poem in my head, so I write it down. Other times it is a word or an image that gets me thinking.''

Along with attending high school, Goldberg tutors others in Hebrew, and takes ballet classes at Cornish Institute several times each week. She also paints and works with clay. She will be 16 in October but said that she will not have time to take drivers education classes this summer.

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