From Rhymes to Reality: Renaissance Turns Winning Student Lyrics into Engaging Flocabulary Lessons

Two K-12 students become published authors after winning nationwide contest celebrating student writing and creativity

BLOOMINGTON, MN (April 21, 2026) - In honor of National Poetry Month, Renaissance, a global leader in pre-K-12 education technology, has published two new student-inspired lessons on Flocabulary, its popular hip-hop-based learning platform. The lessons feature engaging and original lyrics by the winners of the nationwide Flocabulary Student Voice Rap Contest, amplifying student voices and turning learners into teachers.

Amplifying student voices through rhythm and rhyme

The Flocabulary Student Voice Rap Contest is a project-based learning opportunity designed to support core literacy skill development. Through the initiative, K-12 educators help students research, write, and rap about historical figures who capture their interest. The winning lyrics celebrate scientist Temple Grandin and astronaut Sally Ride.

"Our goal with this contest is for students to engage in academics and creativity at the same time," said Dr. Mervin Jenkins, Director and Solutions Consultant at Renaissance. "With this contest, we're celebrating student literacy, cultural expression, and history. The ultimate thing students can do with the knowledge they gain is to create."

Meet the published student authors

Both student winners have now become published authors, as their winning lyrics were transformed into Flocabulary video lessons, with associated learning activities. These new lessons are available to 20,000 schools across the country, joining a library of over 1,300 standards-aligned video lessons that use hip-hop, storytelling, and emotional connections to build vocabulary and comprehension across the curriculum.

The winners are:

• Secondary school winner: Lana S., a 10th grader from Jefferson County Public Schools in Kentucky, who wrote about Temple Grandin. Her lyrics include: "Temple G., a rarity, thinking in designs. Turning bright ideas into changing guidelines. Standing tall, breaking walls, making tables spin. Proven strength starts within, Temple Grandin."

• Elementary school winner: Chloe R., a fifth grader from Catapult Learning in California, who wrote about Sally Ride. Her lyrics include: "Second flight was just as right, eight days to be specific. Conducted observations that were cool and scientific. Sally's flight made history. To be an astronaut American woman, she's the first to earn that spot."

From research to rhyme: Historical figures come to life

Renaissance's student voice contests expand on the company's mission to accelerate learning for students of all backgrounds and abilities. Since 2019, the contests have received over 2,000 submissions, demonstrating both students' enthusiasm and their skills as researchers, lyricists, and rappers.

This year's entries featured a wide range of historical figures spanning centuries, including the Wright brothers, Princess Diana, and Marcus Aurelius. A Renaissance committee, largely made up of former educators, judged the lyrics based on length, format, historical figure selection, content, and style. Ten finalists then performed and recorded their lyrics, which were evaluated on clarity, precision, length, and stage presence.

• Watch the new Flocabulary videos on Temple Grandin and Sally Ride. Each video includes an audio snippet of the winning student explaining why she was inspired by this figure.

• To learn more about the Flocabulary Student Voice Rap Contest, review the contest details.

• To learn more about Flocabulary lessons and how they unlock comprehension through vocabulary acquisition, click here.

About Renaissance

As a global leader in education technology operating in more than 110 countries, Renaissance is committed to providing educators with insights and resources to accelerate growth and help all students build a strong foundation for success. We believe that technology can unlock a more effective learning experience, ensure that students get the personalized teaching they need to thrive, and help educators and administrators to truly, fully, See Every Student.

Contact for Media Queries Only

Kate Lilja Lohnes
Lilja Communications for Renaissance
(952) 893-7140
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