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Prestwood fifth-graders take to airwaves with own Earth Day poetry
Jody Purdom | Sonoma Valley Sun
Butterflies SoarAll over the world
butterflies are born
Chalcedon checkerspot
drifting through the air
eating from plants
fluttering by
great spangled fritillary larva
hiding from animals.
I gaze down to nature.by Francisco Cervantes-Escatel, Prestwood Elementary School
If you were listening to KSVY 91.3 Sonoma on Wednesday morning (and who wasn’t?), then you were treated to the sweet sounds of children reading their own original poetry aloud on the radio. Teachers of Prestwood School’s fifth grade class selected a group of 22 students to read the poems they had written for the annual River of Words poetry contest.
At Prestwood, reading and writing poetry are part of the language arts curriculum and students receive five poetry lessons per year starting in the third grade. Due to budget constraints, the poetry program at Prestwood is paid for using PTO funds.
Phyllis Meshulam, a poet-teacher, has taught the students for the past few years. As an independent contractor, Meshulam works under an organization called California Poets in the Schools, which is celebrating its 45th anniversary.
“The students take to poetry and really seem to enjoy themselves,” said Meshulam. “Prestwood has provided the program for quite a few years and we’re beginning to see more poetry happening in the schools, even at the high school level.”
For the River of Words contest, students wrote poetry specifically about water and nature, tying into other lessons on watersheds and the environment. Each fifth grade student at Prestwood wrote a poem and received a commemorative certificate from River of Words.
River of Words is a non-profit organization dedicated to connecting kids to their watersheds through poetry and art. The watershed art and poetry submitted to River of Words is exhibited around the globe and is seen by millions of people each year, both in person, and reprinted in magazines, books, annual reports and other media.
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