There was a youthful crowd at Monday night’s school board meeting.

Several young poets were in attendance to accept certificates for winning The 2010 Eberhart Family Poetry Contest.

The winners are Taryn Sims, Austin High School freshman; Justin Hansen, Ellis Middle School eighth-grader; Courtney Kusik, Sumner Elementary fourth-grader; Eleanor Hinchcliffe, Banfield third-grader; Aubrey Petersen, Southgate Elementary fifth-grader; Kyle Bailey, Neveln Elementary fourth-grader; Madison Hogfeldt, Woodson Kindergarten Center.

“We had many wonderful submissions this year,” district gifted and talented coordinator, Amanda Bremner, told the board.

Each winner receives a certificate and a monetary prize from the Eberhart Family Endowment. High school students receive $200; middle school students, $100; elementary school winners, $50; and kindergartners, $25.

The children of the late Richard Eberhart, a 1921 Austin High School graduate and Pulitzer Prize-winning poet, started the foundation and contest in 2002 to inspire Austin students to study poetry.

“We are excited to see these young poets,” superintendent David Krenz said following the presentation. “This goes to show… It’s not just about test scores. Students bring a lot more to the classroom than that.