ALTMAR, PARISH, WILLIAMSTOWN – Things may be looking a little different in the library of the Junior-Senior High School at APW. This week, the space has been transformed into a poetry café, complete with decorated tables, refreshments and a performance microphone. For many, this project has been a unique opportunity to share their story and connect with peers.
The poetry café has been a collaboration between the school’s ELA teachers and district social-emotional learning specialist Hillary O’Hagan. Students have worked to write different types of poetry in class with the eventual goal of either reciting their work before their peers in the café or hanging it in an elaborate “gallery walk” which weaves through the library.
As SEL Specialist, O’Hagan assists teachers in incorporating social-emotional learning standards into their academic curriculum. By writing poems about events in their lives, students are better able to explore their own experiences alongside their growth as writers. While performing one’s poetry has not been mandatory, many students have taken the opportunity to share from the heart.
For the school community, the project has been overwhelmingly positive. “The girl who thought poetry was stupid now cannot stop writing!” one teacher joyfully reported.
“We’ve had both teachers and kids cry while others were reading their poem because it touched them so much,” said O’Hagan. “I think it’s been a real eye opener to kids seeing what their peers experience and feel and realize that a lot of them aren’t so different.” By sharing their stories of both joy and pain, students have been able to connect like never before.
Both staff and students eagerly look forward to the return of the project next year.
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