Friday, May 1st was anything but a normal school day for the freshman class. They gathered in the FAB to watch performances from a group of professional poets, artists and performers in the second annual Poetry Day. Each poet taught collaborative workshops during the second and third period. In fifth period, students had the choice to film the Rise & Shine with the Pepperbox staff, compete by making newspaper structures, craft collages, and beautify the campus with sidewalk chalk. During this time, there was also a dance, video editing, and music circle in the FAB.
Freshmen students were immersed in an interactive experience completely different from learning about poetry in a classroom. Freshman Dameer Kowtko’ Elliott said, “the community is coming together and we’re getting out of our social boundaries and we’re talking to new people, making new friends.”
Therese FitzMaurice, freshman English teacher and journalism advisor, had hosted similar workshops at a middle school she worked at, and decided to bring the event to Arcata high last year! This year’s Poetry Day was planned in collaboration with freshman English teachers Andrew Robinson and Hailey Boyum.
A lot of planning and hard work went into making this day happen, starting with choosing guest speakers to perform and also teach workshops.
“I tried to think about who students might relate to,” FitzMaurice said. “We had musicians, spoken word poets, men, women, from all different backgrounds.”
The first performer was Ian Yeo, a rapper and spoken word artist who graduated from Arcata High School and Humboldt State University. His music and poetry served as an outlet for Yeo to process grief of his mother’s passing, and express the ups and downs of life.
“I’m surprised how their poems and music are their outlet to get away from traumas that they’ve been through,” said Kowtko’ Elliott. “It’s really cool that they’ve found this art to bring them peace.”
Bethany Cseh, who is a pastor at Catalyst Church, shared stories of her upbringing as a socially awkward homeschooled teenager, and how she felt like an outsider. Through her preachings, podcast, and TikTok account under Pastor Bethany she aspires to assure her audience, “you are God’s beloved. You are accepted. You are seen. You have nothing to fear” as she said in the poem she read at the event.
Poet, author, and podcaster Anne Frike shared her passion for flipping the narrative and fiercely fighting back against misogyny and sexual assault as a mother of three daughters. Her workshop focused on how poetry is used as an act of resistance against oppression.
DC raised painter and poet Alex Ostell told the story of his family history, from his Jewish grandfather arriving at Ellis Island, to his mother marching with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., and how it has shaped him into an advocate for the LGBTQ+ community and disability rights. Ostell’s workshop focused on teaching students about how the people who came before us affect who we become and shape our complex identities.
Yurok storyteller Ernie Albers shocked and amused the audience with his vibrant performance of the creation story explaining how the hey-yo-mues (skunk) got its white stripe and stinky smell. He taught students the art of storytelling using nature and animals, as well as how humor and acting can engage an audience.
Last but certainly not least, Dr.Oop (short for Droop Canope) had the freshmen audience grooving to his uplifting song “The Prescription”. In his “Rapper for an Hour” workshop, participants helped him write rhyming lyrics and learn about the world of hip hop.
All performers, although very different from one another, each captured the audience’s attention. Looking out across the crowd, I did not see a single phone in sight.
Freshman Mikey Linin had a similar experience. “Having the professionals perform for us in the beginning was very captivating, and I was shocked how quiet the room was,” Linin said. “Everyone was very respectful and there was a sense of awe over the whole room.”
There was also a high level of engagement during 5th period activities, where Mr. Robinson recalls a highlight of his day, students having fun performing a drum circle. Ms. FitzMaurice’s favorite part of the event was actually an accident! When one of the guest speakers couldn’t make it last minute, sophomore Madeline Branson (supervised by Ms. Berube) led a dance workshop in the dance room. She recalls students being reluctant at first, but joining in and having a lot of fun, with groups of boys even recruiting their friends to join.
To close off the event, freshmen had the opportunity to take the stage and perform their own poetry. Kabella Zamboni shared her poem, “I Always Knew I Was Crazy, Just Not Like This.” Zamboni, an experienced public speaker, said, “It didn’t phase me too much, except that a lot of the people that it was about were in the audience.”
Although many students were nervous to perform their work, the supportive atmosphere encouraged them to step outside their comfort zone. This event left many students with a new perspective on poetry, and allowed them to express creativity in a new way. If you were inspired by this event, the Poetry Club meets every Tuesday in room 104, and Arcata has a vibrant poetry scene with many local events and workshops.
