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Students leap into poetry study By Amber Fossen Ashland Daily Tidings Briscoe Elementary School students learned first hand that poetry doesn't have to be confined to a page in a book. Gathering Wednesday morning in the Briscoe Gymnasium, kindergarten through fifth graders saw poetry leap from the page and onto the stage through a Poetry Alive! assembly show, which used performance as a means to experience, understand and appreciate poetry more fully. According to Briscoe teacher Debi Blair, poetry is a great educational tool, allowing students to think beyond the written words. Zach Deal (center) learns to throw imaginary food to ducks in a pond under the direction of Poetry Alive! instructor John Mazurek as fellow Briscoe Elementary classmate Cashel Cain looks on. Ashland Daily Tidings/DENISE BARATTA "You read it (poetry) and every time you read it something else jumps out at you," Blair said. Blair's class joined the rest of the Briscoe clan for an hour of uniquely delivered poems. As performers John and Camille Mazurek began the assembly, it became clear that this would be no ordinary poetry reading. In fact, it was more of a theatrical show. "I didn't really know you could perform poetry like that. I thought it was pretty cool," second-grader Sophia Jones said. While reciting poems from masters like Emily Dickinson, Maya Angelou, Brod Bagert, Sara Holbrook, Louis Carroll, Gertrude Stein, and Eve Merriam among others, the Mazureks engaged students by creatively acting out each poem. And, throughout most of the performance, students found themselves pulled into the action. For fifth grade student Kelby Kemske, being allowed to participate stole the show. "It was a great experience and they involved us in it," Kemske said. Poetry Alive! founded in 1984 in Asheville N.C., delivers some 2,200 performances each year reaching an estimated 600,000 students. In addition to bringing poetry to life, Poetry Alive! offers both classroom and teacher workshops to demonstrate how performance can be used to bring a whole new spin to poetry reading. According to Briscoe Principal Michelle Zundel, the day of activities was funded by Briscoe's parent-teacher association. "The entire day is $1,000 and our PTA is paying for it. That money comes from accumulated fundraisers over the course of a few years," Zundel said. For most students, Poetry Alive! was well-worth the price. Students in Berit Larson's fourth-fifth grade split rated it a 12 out of a possible 10 points. "It was pretty fun. We rate it a twelve," Ian Reynolds-Kendal said. Walker Elementary School also hosted Poetry Alive! this week, giving students and teachers the opportunity to absorb poetry in a different way. LINKS: DAILY TIDINGS: Main | News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Opinion | Columnists | AP News | Subscribe | Archives | Weather | Classifieds | Contact Us | Privacy REVELS: Main | Calendar | Dining | Movies | T.V. OTHER: Road Cams Copyright 2003 Ashland Daily Tidings 541.482.3456. 1661 Siskiyou Blvd., Ashland, OR 97520. Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. - Advertisers -