Daily Local News (West Chester, PA)
Students participate in poetry club
Writing poetry helps the Coatesville students to express themselves
Coatesville students are able to express themselves through poetry every Monday afternoon.
COATESVILLE » Singer songwriter Leonard Cohen once said, “Poetry is just the evidence of life. If your life is burning well, poetry is just the ash.”
Students at the Coatesville Area Intermediate High School are able to express themselves through poetry every Monday afternoon from 2:30-3:30 p.m. with West Chester University professor Bernard Hall. Hall has partnered with the Coatesville Area School District to build a poetry club for any students in grades 9-10 who are interested in expressing themselves through rhyme and creative word play.
“I really like the poetry club,” said sophomore Naomi Lee. “Dr. Hall is open and won’t judge any student’s poem. I learn so much about other students through their poetry.”
Lee further explained that students are told not to judge others when they want to express themselves.
“I also learned how much pain certain students carry,” she said. “Poetry is a great way to release some inner feelings.”
For students at the Coatesville Area Intermediate High School, the poetry club is a way to unite with fellow students who equally share a passion for poetry. According to Hall, the poetry club is designed to create a relevant learning experience grounded in cultural knowledge.
In this poetry club, students have exposure to think critically and continue their writing well past the school day.
“Poetry is a craft that students will study,” Hall said. “They will have the chance to write the spoken word and correct the social ills.”
Hall has been working with the Coatesville Area School District for the last six years. He started working with middle school students from North and South Brandywine schools. The students will have an opportunity to travel to West Chester University in May and perform some of their poetry in front of University professors. Hall would eventually like for the students to perform in front of the Coatesville Area School District’s board of school directors.