“Poetry is when an emotion has found its thought and the thought has found words.”

This quote by Robert Frost was driven home all year at Rifle’s Graham Mesa Elementary’s first ever Lunch Bunch Poetry Club (LBPC). Fifth grade students dedicated two lunch periods a week to weave together sentences they are proud of. Their pens moved ferociously across the pages; the body of work they were able to create is nothing short of amazing. The result: a tremendous growth in their love for writing. Job done.

Their reward? A notebook full of their thoughts and a group of people cheering them on. Some thoughts were silly, some serious, but all meaningful. You write, you belong. No one writes alone and nothing goes unwritten was the message of LBPC. Write a poem, share a poem.

We’re so happy our capstone event this year gleaned insights from an expert. Post Independent/Citizen Telegram Managing Editor Ray Erku was kind enough to inspire LBPC during their class field trip to Misty’s Coffee, Silt. Ray taught us that great writing is real work, the hours of news reporting are arduous, it’s OK to take pride in your work, and writers can and do affect real change in their communities and in the world. Students learned that their writing makes a difference. It’s not just for a grade, it’s for life.

Writers from all skill levels joined LBPC. I started the Club with a dream  of sparking a lifelong love of writing. The signs I held out said: “Poetry Club starts soon.” Students jumped at signing up because they knew they could write and the Club provided the place. The spark was there; the table filled up and we began writing and sharing work. I told told the students, here’s paper, pen, and people who care. I gave them space, encouragement, feedback and turned them loose. Sure, they hit some roadblocks, but our group came to realize that great writing doesn’t always have to be about rainbows and butterflies. Club members broached painful subjects, and writing through the spectrum of emotions will serve them later in ways they don’t yet comprehend.

The students learned that turning to their notebooks would not fail them. Choosing to write leads up and out, instead of down and in. Many students have been through life events they’re not ready to talk about, let alone write about, but there’s a chance they might chose writing now because they know when their emotions take life on paper nothing bad happens. Writing is relief. No matter what happens in life, you can write about it.

Fifth grade is a time where important life choices are made and constructive outlets like writing aid in character development, which is at the core of GME’s social-emotional learning goals.

“GME is all about furthering relationships,” says Brian Sprenger, Principal at GME. “We know that great learning happens when positive relationships build structure.”

Sprenger, beginning his seventh year as GME’s principal, also brought the Watch Dog program to GME, which allows volunteer dads and male guardians into the school to boost morale among students.

“We’ll try anything to partner with the community and if it works, we keep it,” Sprenger says.

I’d like to see more academic clubs in Re-2. We’ve got some extremely talented writers walking our halls. Right now, the next J.K. Rowling or Stephen King could be in our midst. It’s up to teachers to encourage students to finish the thought, continue the idea, expand the story, etc. In the rushed state of our world, it’s important that educators validate and affirm a student’s creative instincts. Writing is active, and our kids need action instead of passive consumption of information on a screen.

Teaching, as much as it’s about the transmission of information, is equally about the inspiration of the mind. A student can’t learn without a budding sense of self belief: I matter and I am capable. That’s the mission of LBPC: to tell scholars early and often, we believe in you to create written work that shapes your character.

Kids live distracted lives today and poetry helps reel them in, helps them contemplate what their mind is full of. They might not like it, but it’s there. These kids can rhyme and reason and distinguish between what sounds good and what’s not a hit. There’s real creative talent here, and while we know that sports changes lives, so do the arts. A strong writing team is just as important as an athletic team winning a state title. Athletics should not be the only pathway to success or the only opportunity to build lasting community among our students.

2022-2023 was the genesis of LBPC. We’re going to keep writing and we have no plans of stopping. Re-2 is going to have an army of writers. A collective. Published works? National recognition? We’re submitting poetry and short stories to competitions. We are growing students who, with discipline, dedicate themselves to written excellence. Our kids are uniquely impacted by living in these mountains and it’s time they start telling their stories and the world starts listening.

Jonathan Phillips has lived in Rifle for nearly 10 years.