A north-east teenager wants to get his Covid-themed poem into the Press & Journal and Evening Express’ time capsule project.
Corey Stephen is a pupil at Anna Ritchie School in Peterhead and came up with his verse as part of a class project.
The 15-year-old’s coronavirus poem makes a plea for people to follow the pandemic rules and do their bit to save lives.
The deadline for entries to go into the Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire time capsules is this Friday.
Corey also had his words published in the school newsletter and now he has submitted his work to go into the time capsule.
His poem reads: “Coronavirus. Over each country it spreads.
“Ruining lives as it spreads along. Over the months these have been hard times.
“NHS staff on the frontline. Working so hard to save lots of lives. And now all of us must stay at home.
“Vital that we all stay alert. Ignoring the signs can kill many lives.
“Reminding us all to keep germs away. Washing our hands to keep them away.
“Using this time to think about lives.
“So during this time please stay at home. Be smart, stay safe, save lives.”
Corey said: “I had thought of something for Covid-19 and came up with the poem. This is the first poem I’ve made. I enjoyed writing it.
“I want everyone to be able to read my work for years to come.”
‘Their voice is just as important’
Anna Ritchie School headteacher Shona Ferguson praised the teenage pupil and his time capsule poem hopes.
She said: “It is amazing. I’ve seen Corey’s confidence go up over the last few years.
“It is important our pupils are involved in this just like their mainstream peers as their voice is just as important.”
Aberdeen City and Aberdeenshire councils have sent Time Capsule Project packs to every school asking for submissions. Schools are the only channel to submit entries.
Once all the entries have been collected, judges from each council will decide which entries make it into the capsules. The plan is to include at least one piece from each school that takes part.
The location of the times capsules is to be decided at a later date and schools have until May 28 to submit work to put inside them.
Pandemic restrictions permitting, representatives from all the schools will be invited along to the special burial ceremony.