English department announces National Poetry Month events
In honor of National Poetry Month, the English department has come up with several creative ways tocelebrate poetry here at Greenhills.
SPECIAL POETRY ASSEMBLY April 15
On Monday, April 15, there will be an all-school poetry assembly featuring student poets and guest poet Raymond McDaniel, who was also our 2012 McDowell Awards speaker. McDaniel will read from his latest book, Special Powers and Abilities, which has been called “a futuristic, stunningly imaginative poetic exploration of superheroes, religion, and myth.” He is also the author of Saltwater Empire andMurder (a violet), a National Poetry Series selection. His writing appears in many magazines and in the anthology American Poets in the 21st Century. Born in Florida, McDaniel lives in Ann Arbor, teaches at the University of Michigan, and writes for The Constant Critic.
MAGNETIC POETRY COMPETITION April 17 and 19 at lunch
Four students from each grade will compete in a bracket-style poetry competition. Using Magnetic Poetry Kits, students will work in teams of two to create poems on small metal sheets in timed rounds of elimination. English teachers will score poems to determine who will advance to the next round. The winning team will receive iTunes gift cards and finalists will also receive a special prize.
24 HOURS OF POETRY April 24 12:01 a.m.
On April 24, beginning at midnight, there will be an online event called 24 HOURS OF POETRY.
The goal is to see how many original poems the Greenhills community can write and post in that
timeframe. The Greenhouse wiki for this event will be open to students, teachers, staff, and parents!
Prizes will be awarded for the first posted poem, the funniest poem, the shortest poem, the best use of
the word gryphon, the best ode to Greenhills, and the best poem about springtime.
PUBLIC POETRY April 15-26
For two weeks, April 15-26, Greenhills students will have the opportunity to participate in Public
Poetry in the cafeteria. There will be a large-scale version of magnetic poetry made from 300 words
printed on clear contact paper displayed on the windows of the cafeteria. Students will be able to move
the words around to create poems. Public Poetry is a great way to be expressive, spontaneous, and
playful with words, accompanied by the knowledge that parents, teachers, visitors, and students of all
ages use the cafeteria space.
POETRY AROUND THE SCHOOL April 15-26
There will also be poetry available throughout the building. The Greenhills Library will host a poetry
display of anthologies and single-author books; students will read famous poems at grade meetings
and division assemblies; poems will be read in non-English classes; and the members of the Evergreen
staff will post poems in unexpected places around the school. Keep an eye out for more!
POEMS IN EVERY CLASS April 26
To close the Poetry Celebration, teachers in every subject area will be sharing poetry with their classes.
This means that students will hear several poems throughout the day to reinforce the way that language
not only creates bridges between disciplines of study but also fosters community here at Greenhills.
For more information about any of these events, please email the English department chair, Kelly
Williams, at kwilliams@greenhillsschool.org.
