Poetry Celebration at North Shore High School

North Shore’s First Annual Poetry Day

On April 23, the North Shore High School Library and the High School Writing Center hosted their first annual Poetry Day celebration in honor of William Shakespeare's birthday and National Poetry Month. The Writing Center Fellows welcomed everyone to North Shore’s first annual Poetry Day. They stated, “April has been designated as National Poetry Month in order to increase a broader appreciation of poetry, such an important art form that must be heard.”

Commemorating the birthday of William Shakespeare, one of history’s most famous and prolific poets, 454 years ago, the emcees stated, “His impact on classical literature and pop culture is eternal. Many everyday quotations are taken right from Shakespearean literature, including the ‘be-all and the end-all’ from Macbeth, the ‘dead as a doornail’ from Henry VI part II, ‘wild goose chase’ from Romeo and Juliet, and ‘break the ice’ from The Taming of the Shrew.”

The following brave students, administrators, and faculty were some of the guest speakers at North Shore High School that helped celebrate Shakespeare and the “power of poetry”:
Mr. LaBlanc, (“Jeremiad Against the Plain Bagel” – original work), Kinsale Reilly, Dylan McGinley, Bryce Roth, Grand Goodman, Ethan Loring and Blake Mandell (Catullus 5 or 16), Maddie Podaras and Hannah Moran, Mr. Bishop and Mr. LaBlanc (scene from Romeo and Juliet), Zoe Malin (“A Barred Owl” by Richard Wilbur), Mr. Knight (“The History Teacher” by Billy Collins), Dr. Kurrus (“We Real Cool” by Gwendolyn Brooks), and Ms. Ritter (“Dolce et Decorum Est” by Wilfred Owen).

Many thanks to Ms. Donna Rice, Ms. Karen Devlin, and Dr. Caitlin Kirmser who collaborated to launch the event and all of the English classes who joined in the poetry reading and/o participated as audience members. In addition, many to the Writing Center Fellows who emceed the event as their peers, teachers, and administrators recited their favorite original or published poems.  Both audience members and participants enjoyed paying tribute to this powerful language art form at the first annual North Shore High School Poetry Celebration.

Article and photos by Shelly Newman