Island High Students Express Themselves Through Poetry

ALAMEDA, CA - Being a teenager is tough --especially for students who end up in a continuation high school. Island High School students are learning to express their emotions through poetry.

"We teach this unit to help students learn to write and analyze poems and have an opportunity to tell their stories," said teacher John Nolan who has taught at Island High for eight years and was voted AUSD Teacher of the Year in 2012. "It's a chance for students to develop their own voice and use it."

"I wrote about my life, stuff going on every day, stuff I've been put through," said Jeremiah Braxton, 17, who penned "It's Complicated" and came to Island High School after "messing up" in 9th and 10th grade at Encinal High. "In poetry, I can get away with a lot. I can express my emotions."

Braxton, who has performed as a rapper and singer in northern and southern California, said that the poetry unit helped him learn to choose words and tone to convey meaning, which will be helpful in the musical career he wants to pursue.

Isaiah Aleman, 17, says he's different since attending Island High School. "I've become more creative, more thoughtful. I can think more critically about what I want people to feel from my words, what I think, how I feel about other people."

Alameda's poet laureate, Julia Park Tracey, coached the students on their poems, helping them with writer's block, editing, and finding their voice and narrative style.

Nolan says that teaching the course annually reinforces his belief in the "deep, powerful stories" of students. "They come from such unique circumstances. It can be healing for them to process these experiences in a creative, productive way."

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