BRAINTREE -- Kathleen Blaho spent the school year telling her students to seize opportunities as they come.

Just before summer vacation, her students had the chance to do just that.

In anticipation of the One Nation Under God National Eucharistic Pilgrimage's visit to the Archdiocese of Boston from June 26-28, and the 250th anniversary of the U.S., the archdiocese's Catholic Schools Office held a contest for third, fourth, and fifth graders to reimagine Longfellow's famous poem "Paul Revere's Ride" as "The Midnight Ride of Faith."

Blaho, who teaches history to fifth graders at St. Francis Xavier School in Weymouth, had just finished teaching her students about the Revolutionary War when the contest was announced. They recently went on a field trip to Lexington, where Archbishop Richard G. Henning will lead adoration on the Battle Green on June 28.

Fifteen of Blaho's students entered the contest, including Scarlett Vital, whose poem took home the fifth-grade prize.

"Sometimes life gets really tough/And things don't go as planned," Scarlett writes in her poem. "But God is always with us/ Holding our hand."

"When I read Scarlett's poem, I immediately knew it was special," Blaho said. "It reflected the journey of faith, but more importantly, it reflected who Scarlett is as a person. She is welcoming and kind, compassionate to others, determined, and faithful."

Scarlett and the other winners of the poetry contest were honored at the Archdiocese of Boston Pastoral Center in Braintree on June 22. Madeline Mackin from the Saints Academy in Beverly won the third-grade prize, and Grace Yanchus of St. Mary of the Annunciation School in Danvers won the fourth-grade prize. A single second grader, Theresa Chiodini from St. Raphael School in Medford, submitted a poem and received an honorable mention.

The grand prize winner was Dominic Smethurst, a fourth grader at St. Mary's in Danvers. Dominic will recite his poem, entitled "Mission Faith," at Bunker Hill Monument in Charlestown when the pilgrimage stops there on June 27.

Over 200 poems were submitted, representing 13 of the archdiocese's Catholic schools. The Secretariat of Evangelization and Discipleship read them, then narrowed the entries down to 48 finalists. The final 48 poems were read by CSO Superintendent of Faith Formation Leah Ramsdell and her team to determine the winners.

"We were amazed at how good the poems were," said Director of Family Life and Ecclesial Movements Liz Cotrupi. "They had good structure, creativity, and talked about faith in ways that seemed well beyond the ages of these kids. Very impressive."

The winners received rosaries blessed by Archbishop Henning. When Scarlett received hers, she said she was looking forward to praying with it at school every Friday.

"We are so proud of Scarlett, not only for her poetry, but also for how beautifully she is growing in her faith," Blaho said.