St. Luke’s Fifth Grade Poets Learn From Renowned Writer

On April 27, St. Luke’s fifth graders (Class of 2027), took to the “ Zoom stage” to perform a poem from a portfolio of poems they had developed during the month of April. As parents and members of the St. Luke’s community watched, the Class of 2027 poets inspired us with their innovative creations and wise reflections.

Members of the Class of 2027 have studied and written poetry intermittently throughout the year. However, during the month of April, our student poets had the privilege to work directly with the accomplished poet, Georgia Heard, our Poet in (Virtual) Residence. Heard, a nationally and internationally renowned author, writes for both children and teachers. She was a founding member of the Teachers College Reading and Writing Project at Columbia University.

Heard worked with the children for four sessions over the span of two weeks. During that time, the students' writing skills were sharpened and their passion for poetry was nurtured. Thank you to Ms. Heard, Head of Middle School Amber Berry, and St. Luke’s for supporting this learning and co-teaching initiative.

The study of poetry this month allowed student poets to not only express their creativity, but also to begin processing the circumstances at present and to prioritize meaningful values. To paraphrase Marc Brackett, founding director of the Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence, how students feel when they are learning matters more than any other factor. Thus, this month of reading and writing poetry was essential for many reasons. Our fifth-grade poets reported that writing poetry was “calming” and “centering,” that it “allowed me to express my feelings” and “helped me to feel more optimistic.”

We thank you, fifth grade. Your poems provided your audience with both escape and connection—even from afar. Congratulations, poets!