Above are Tuscan Elementary School students with Tuscan Library media specialist Amy Popp.
MAPLEWOOD, NJ — Fourth-grade students from Tuscan School, along with other elementary school students from the South Orange-Maplewood School District, participated in the Maplewood Memorial Library’s “Kids Speak Out” event on Feb. 4. This event was to encourage students to speak out and express themselves through writing, art and music to celebrate Black History Month. More than 140 parents, students and community members attended the reception. Students from Tuscan, Clinton and South Mountain schools recited poetry and artwork; poetry written by Seth Boyden School students was on display.
“Everyone, from young to old, has been delighted to see the students’ work on display in the library,” Jane Folger, head of the library’s children’s services, said. “Hundreds of people walk through here each day and spend considerable time looking at the exhibition — reading the thoughts and feelings expressed by the students. It is so important for our community to see the type of work that is coming from our local schools, to really appreciate the depth of learning and awareness that is taking place within each child. And the art reception gave students the opportunity to stand up in public and speak out, to get positive feedback on the great work they are doing.”
Tuscan students read cinquain, acrostic, rhyming, and free verse poems that they wrote in Amy Popp’s library classes. These poems honored the life of Martin Luther King Jr. Some students chose to recite their poems and others requested that Popp read their poetry. All of the student work was powerful and described King’s dream and the importance of equal rights for all.
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