This National Poetry Month, the Appleton Education Foundation (AEF) is excited to share how local students find their voices through the written word. We are proud to highlight “Wisconsin Birds in Poetry,” a grant project that enhances our community through the transformative media of poetry and writing.
Honoring a Legacy of Literacy
Ellen Kort, Wisconsin’s first Poet Laureate, lived, taught, and worked in Appleton, where she helped shape the local literary community. The Ellen Kort Endowment Fund in AEF continues her legacy by funding projects that foster a love for writing.
AASD educator, Joanna Dane, was awarded a $1,500 grant from the Kort Fund to bring Lawrence University Professor of Poetry, Melissa Range, to Appleton West High School. Dane’s goal was to move beyond standard textbooks and allow students to explore the world through imagination and wordplay. She arranged immersive writing workshops with Range for 125 biology and environmental study students on writing poems about birds found on the Wisconsin Phenology Calendar. By focusing on poetry as a “perfect compliment” to traditional learning, students learned to understand beauty and connection in ways that only the arts can provide.
The Impact of the Written Word
We believe writing provides a unique platform for student engagement and enhance content learning. The “Wisconsin Birds in Poetry” project highlights this in several meaningful ways:
- Fostering a Value for Learning: By using poetry to highlight connections and beauty, Dane is able to creatively engage students across disciplines.
- Student-Authored Keepsakes: Each of the 125 students involved will contribute to a professionally printed and bound book of poems and illustrations.
- Community Connection: Students are not just reading poetry; they are becoming poets, as they connect with local professor and poet, Melissa Range.
Investing in the Next Generation of Writers
By investing in these workshops, we are helping students cultivate a lifelong appreciation for the arts and the confidence to express themselves through verse.
As we celebrate National Poetry Month, we invite you to join us in applauding the teachers and students at Appleton West who are keeping the tradition of poetry vibrant and essential in our schools.