Saratoga News

Education

Students reading writings in the redwoods

By Michele Leung

A small corner of the quad at Saratoga High School was the perfect setting to celebrate words and language. Lights were strung up around the trunks of the redwood trees, streamers were blowing in the breeze and the sun was dipping below the horizon. A picture of the Bard himself, William Shakespeare, reminded the audience of why they had come.

First- and second-year poetry students showcased their talents in front of their fans at the annual "Readings in the Redwoods." The June 7 poetry reading was the culmination of their work this year. Dressed in black and moving in choreographed steps across the stage, the student poets read aloud their work about nature, emotions and their perspective on the world.

"Poetry lives in me," read junior Kristy Chu from her poem Immortal. "From our hearts, to poems."

The poetry program has been at Saratoga for seven years, and the students have been making names for themselves.

"I can't even begin to tell you," said poetry teacher Judith Sutton. "They're being published in Canada and all over the U.S. Most often, it's not for high school [publications]. The places that they're getting picked up are in adult literary magazines."

Recently, she pointed to a wall in her classroom, where she pinned up five awards her students have won from the California Federation of Chaparral Poets, the state's oldest and largest poetry organization. She described how the organization's president, James Schuman, recently paid a visit to Saratoga to find out more about the poetry program.

"He was so impressed and came to see what we were about," Sutton said.

Poetry classes are a rarity at most high schools, said Sutton, who teaches three levels of poetry. She likened her classes to college-level seminars and professional workshops, where students benefit from one-on-one coaching. She says good poetry should not go on about over-the-top feelings and use "horrible rhymes."

"It's getting at the universal and getting to the specific," she said. "If they write about how they're grieving, they write concretely about it."

After last year's "Readings in the Redwoods" poetry recital, Sutton sent some of the students' work to first lady Laura Bush, knowing she had done a lot of work in the area of literacy.

"I sincerely admire Laura Bush's work. She was a librarian and a teacher," Sutton said. "I wanted her to know that reading and writing are alive and well at Saratoga High School."

Over the course of several months, Sutton successfully exchanged a series of letters with Bush's office. She even urged Bush to come to Saratoga this year to celebrate National Poetry Month in April. The first lady's schedule proved too packed to squeeze in a stop in California, but Sutton still received a phone call this past spring from one of Bush's staffers, much to her surprise.

"I almost dropped the phone," Sutton said.

Sutton never caught the name of the caller--"Lou somebody," she said. But the staff member said Bush had read all the letters that went back and forth and sent her regrets that she couldn't stop by Saratoga.

Sutton was impressed by the personal phone call. She has been excited about the acknowledgements that have been coming from near and far. The students in her classes are an example of a positive group of teens, she said.

"These are ideas coming from young minds," Sutton said. "There is hope for the future and faith in the next generation."

Many of Sutton's poetry students repeat her class to perfect their skills.

"I love poetry because it allows me to express emotions and experiences in a way that no other art can," said senior Catie Lycurgus, who has been taking poetry for three years. "There's something about words, being able to find the right one that really speaks to me. It's a powerful way to talk to other people."

Many students call Sutton a demanding teacher, but they all say the hard work has been worth it.

"She taught me poetry," said senior Jeffrey Ni. "She took me from freshman year and hooked me."

At this year's "Readings in the Redwoods," those in the audience expressed their amazement at what their classmates, sons and daughters have been able to create.

"It's weird to think that they wrote that," said sophomore Annum Hassan. "They sound so professional."

Parent Shiraz Shivji was impressed with Sutton's guidance and the work his son Azim, a junior, has done. This was the second year Shivji has come to the outdoor poetry reading.

"A lot of the parents here are in the hard sciences," Shivji said. "To see this, it's a different thing. With technology, everything is fast-moving; yet here, we're coming back to Shakespeare. Poetry comes from within. It's just wonderful."