Poetry al fresco

VERNON — Armed with scissors, string and their best walking shoes, 32 sixth-graders, under the supervision of their Language Arts teacher Peggy Mitchell, gathered together under the pavilion at Maple Grange Park last Thursday.

They were there to spread poetry appreciation.

In an event that Mitchell has dubbed Poetry at Grange, the students set out to decorate the park’s walking path with poetry of their own creation. They were using the park and its trees as a natural gallery.

“It’s a great way to show people what we’ve been working on,” said student Shayna Lazar. “We did the hard work and now everyone gets to see it.”

As the young poets walked the path, they picked out trees that would bear their art for others who walk the path.

“Make sure you don’t stick it way out there,” Mitchell reminded them. “We don’t want people to have to leave the path to read them.”

A creative spark The idea for Poetry at Grange was born from a walk on the park path. Mitchell’s children play lacrosse at a field in the park and she uses the time to get exercise on the walking path. Recently, she found herself without her iPod, which she customarily listens to while she walks. She began thinking about schoolwork and wishing that she had some poetry to read. It dawned on her that her students could provide the poetry to the path patrons.

The principal of Lounsberry Middle School, Dr. Stewart Stumper, was highly supportive of the idea and so the only thing Mitchell had to do was to get permission from the town of Vernon. She got in contact with Melissa Mancuso-Wiedbrauk, Vernon's recreation director, who was equally supportive of the idea.

“I felt that people would enjoy it,” said Wiedbrauk. “While taking a walk or walking their dogs they could see the creative minds of our young people.”

The people walking the trail will be hard-pressed not to take notice of the new additions — every poem is laminated and backed with colorful paper. The breeze on that Thursday afternoon made them stand out even more, as the poems bucked and pulled against the string that held them in place. The township of Vernon agreed to let the poems enjoy their new homes for the entire month of May.

Many of the poems are on the subject of nature, which strengthens the connection between the poetry project and the walking trail. “It’s a way to express how we feel about nature,” said student Max Rodriguez, “and it’s good to get out of the classroom.”

Poetry lessons diminishing With school districts competing for federal and state funds, there has been increased pressure on school staff to emphasize core skills. This includes language arts, but does not necessarily include poetry. Mitchell has seen poetry’s presence diminish on state assessments in recent years. “I’m going to keep poetry in my classroom,” she says, keeping an eye on students who are farther ahead on the path, “because it has such great value.” She explains that poetry allows for different kinds of student skills to manifest. “Some students have trouble with traditional composition, but if you ask them to write a few lines of poetry — it’s no problem to them.”

Her students also expressed their appreciation of the poetic form. “It’s a way to get your feelings out,” said sixth-grader Allison Freeswick. “For some people it comes easy,” said Elizabeth Keith, echoing her teacher, “but it’s different from other writing. It’s a beauty thing — and for some it doesn’t come easy at all.”

Continuing tradition With the success of the first Poetry at Grange, Mitchell said that she would like to keep it up as a yearly event. “I like the timing,” she said. It's good for her students. “It comes at a time when they really need to express themselves freely.” The day they sent their poetry into the wild, the students had just finished the New Jersey Assessment of Skills and Knowledge test (known at the NJ ASK test): strict, procedural tests that aim to evaluate basic skills. The fresh air and laughter of their friends was a welcome change from their desks and No. 2 pencils. “It really takes the stress out after the test,” said student Daniel Fedorko.

Not all of the students were on board with the idea at first. As the trip came to its close, Alex Patti made a confession to his teacher: “I thought this was going to be boring.” Mitchell asked if he had changed his mind, but Alex had already sprinted off to claim another tree for his poem.

The poems will be on display on the walking and biking path at Maple Grange Park in Vernon until the end of May.

See more photos from this event by Alex Carver at our Web site.