This month, Greenhills celebrates poetry
April is National Poetry Month, which means it’s time once again for the Greenhills community to celebrate our love of language and the power of poetry to move us, to inspire us, and to bring joy to our daily lives.In 1789, poet William Wordsworth described poetry as “the spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings.” Poetry is a special form of expression that communicates love, fear, delight, sadness, and hope through the poet’s careful attention to language. Poetry can be challenging, and it can also be fun–after all, poetry is really about being playful with words. The Greenhills English department invites you to participate in our school-wide celebration of National Poetry Month through one or more of the following events, all part of the 2015 Greenhills Poetry Celebration.
For more information, please email English Department Chair Kelly Williams.
VISITING WRITER PROGRAM April 20
This year, the English department is welcoming prize-winning poet Kazim Ali as part of the Visiting Writer Program. Ali currently serves as the Director of the Creative Writing Program at Oberlin College. He has published four books of poetry, including The Far Mosque, The Fortieth Day, the cross-genre poetic memoir Bright Felon: Autobiography and Cities, and Sky Ward, which won the Ohioana Award in Poetry. Monday, April 20th will mark his third visit to Greenhills this semester. He will spend the day in sixth grade English classes as part of the intensive unit on poetry taught by Mrs. Visscher.
PUBLIC POETRY April 20-24
For one week, April 20-24, 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 20-24
There will be poetry available throughout the building. The Greenhills Library will host a poetry display of anthologies and single-author books; students will read poems at grade meetings and division assemblies; poems may be read in non-English classes; chalk poems may appear on the sidewalks; and poems will be posted in unexpected places around the school. Keep an eye out for more!
POEM IN YOUR POCKET DAY April 22
All students are encouraged to carry a poem in their pocket on this day. Find a poem that you like (see www.poetryfoundation.org), print it out, and keep it with you all day. You may be called upon at any point in the day by any teacher or a fellow student to read your poem. At the end of the day, the middle school grade with the most poems still in their pockets in G period will win a special prize for the entire grade. The upper school students with poems in their pockets will win the everlasting respect of their English teachers and the intellectual admiration of their peers.
MAGNETIC POETRY COMPETITION April 23 (MS & US 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.
24 HOURS OF POETRY April 24 12:01 a.m.-11:59 p.m. (online)
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. When you login to Greenhouse, you will see a wiki for poetry submissions. 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 best use of a gryphon, the best ode to Greenhills, and the best poem about springtime.
ADRIAN WADE WRIGHT TALENT SHOWCASE April 24 at 7 p.m. (theater)
The African American Focus student group will host talent showcase that includes poetry, music, and dance to raise money for the Adrian Wade Wright memorial fund, which supports diversity initiatives at Greenhills.
MCDOWELL AWARDS SHOWCASE April 30 at 7 p.m. (theater)
The community is invited to hear McDowell winners read from their winning poems, stories, plays, essays, and articles. Join us for a celebration of the hard work, talent, and creativity of middle and upper school students.
