Poetry Slam: Student writing

Last week Team Fink shared original poetry in a Poetry Slam. Below is their work.

If you are interested in hearing their poetry, check out videos here.

 
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1) Haiku

By Macie Murphy

Wind dances through trees
The Streams over flow with charm
Nature inspires me

“Transformation” By Maddie Whitehouse

I am trapped with fear
I need to break through these chains
Only then, I’m free

“Stories” by Mitch Larson

Take me back in time
To a place of history
So I’m young again

“Write your epic” by Alli Randall

People have stories
Life stories that can inspire
Write your story well

“Release” by Angelina Basso

Can life be freeing
Does it trap you in a cage
Or let you be released

2) Limerick

“Success through a kids eye” By Maddie Whitehouse

There once was a boy on a tramp
Who thought he could jump with a lamp
He threw the lamp in the sky
And hit a little fly
Then he felt like a little champ

“Easter” by Angelina Basso

There once was a darkness all over the world
It consumed us and made us unfurled
but then there was a light
No one had seen it in sight
we felt it shape the world in a swirl

“Deflated Grape” By Megan Suedkamp

There was a shriveled up green grape
Who held a rather odd bumpy shape
To be called a raisin
Would not be amazin
So instead he was thrown in a crepe

“Wacky?” by Noelle Bergstrom

There once was a girl named Jackie
Some say she was quite tacky
She would roll in a ball
And sit on a wall
Sometimes she was even called wacky

3) Acrostic

“Life” By Charleigh Gibson

L augh without fears of the future
I ntense and interesting your odyssey should be
F rustrating and devastation will come your way
E xplore yourself and express your psyche before you lay

“Epic” By Maddie

Searching through life
Taking some risks
Observing the world
Running freely
Young and dreaming

“History” by Jack Sanger

History repeats
Into the future
So how does
That play
Out for you
Remember
Your past fades and your future expands

“Be present” by Alli Randall

Look forwards not backwards
Iduldge in the present
Find the special moments today
Enjoy the memory for a lifetime

“All things are fine” by Mitch Larson

Someday the sun will shine
Turning the earth green
Over mountains in time
Revealing what’s not seen
Inching toward the line
Erasing the dreams
Showing all things are fine

“O Scream O Sunshine, O Scream” by Makayla Au

Surely it understands what I need,
Understands how to dig up the roots of a weed.
o please understand dear sunshine, o please

Never will it fill me to the brim,
Soaking me with the warmth of a hymn.
o sing to me o sunshine, o sing

Half heartily slapping me with the wind,
Inspiring me to relive all the days I have sinned.
o renew me o sunshine, o renew me

Naive it becomes as it hides behind a cloud,
Exasperation it betrays as it screams aloud.
o scream sunshine, o scream
for most of the world only sees you in their dreams

” Purpose driven life” by Lauren Stephens
What is your S tory
A beautiful sound T hat no one hears?
A story O f a thousand words
A wo R ld full of stories
The world is full of stories, but are you living Y ours?

4) Blackout

Fear not,
Light and joy,
Peace and love,
Come from the lord
-Makayla Au

Silently listen to stories
Whenever listening
We wish
To learn their
Language
-Megan Suedkamp

Gentle quiet
But valiant
Dream
Kings and Queens
-Noelle Bergstrom

5) Sonnet

“Tongues” by Macie Murphy

I am wrapped with skin, skin that holds secrets
It is easily bruised, easily scarred
I try to heal, but I have a weakness
Peoples words are made of very sharp shards
My soul cries for help, but you don’t dare hear
You keep living, your tongue keeps on killing
I fade away, I slowly disappear
I turn to shadows, you freeze my singing
I hope human tongues could be turned a-new
Changing its evil into a stunning song
Maybe one day they’ll be after you too
Don’t be afraid because your skin is strong
And from everyone’s heart hate could be sprung
And that is all the work of the human tongues

“Comfort in the dark” By: Alli Randall

Fear steals the light from my beautiful soul
Darkness floods into my once passionate eyes
Fear chips pieces of me that makes me whole
When will I soon learn that these are all lies
Because I let fear control my own mind
I am now trapped in a dark, unlocked cage
I begin to like it here, I am blind
Here I’m comfortable beginning to age
My heart longs to see color once again
I know I wasted lifetimes in shadows
I need to leave my comfort zone but when?
Thoughts come into my mind, I become froze
I take a leap, a smile comes my face
After that leap risk is now what I chase

“Falling to My Knees” by Makayla Au

Sitting, hiding, abandoned in the dark
Thinking, contemplating, whether to stay
Nervous, afraid, scared, waiting for a spark
Waiting and falling to my knees to pray
O darkness conceal my heart and hide me
O hope disappear and never come back
O death come conquer me with the dead sea
O life go hide, returning with a whack
O joy disease into what were my dreams
O peace please swallow up my hateful pride
O hate come and sweep up my loving themes
O love wash away the peaceful loud tide
As I step up from the melting shadow
I am saying hello to tomorrow

“Sunshine” by Charleigh Gibson

You are my sunshine, that shine will spur on
You turn my world brighter when outside’s dark
When you’re gone, my smiles not set upon
Without you nowhere I will find my spark
You, give me feelings I cannot described
I keep craving you because you renew
How long have I been striving for our tribe?
Didn’t know where to find light, but sunshine knew
I am an emotional empty hole
I don’t have any fire in my eye
Within, I do not have a heart and soul
Yet, I hear a voice telling me “fly high”
You don’t have to frantic, just turn around
Sunshine is here don’t worry, you’re not Ground

“Flavors of life” by: Lauren Stephens

Our stories are a part of our expression
We long to share yet we never listen
We are caught up in our self obsession
Your story seems dull but it will glisten
Our memories are part of our story
Good or bad they will always stick with you
In our highs and lows we give God glory
Listing to stories can shape us too
In all stories there is imperfection
One comes to tell another somber news
In all this bad news there is reflection
All of my bad news who does it amuse
All of your hateful words stab like a knife
But all stories are the flavor of life

“A Good Fate” by Jackson Bolz

Fate is to be feared by some to be sure
Destiny awaits you and I alike
Fate is gentle to those with hearts of myrrh
But those who hold hearts impure, it may strike
Men conforming to evil ways beware
Those who’s morals are drained as dry as drought
Fate brings consequence to those who so dare
It silences a wicked man’s great shout
The innocent are judged oh so lightly
Such individuals are favored true
The just are strangled not at all tightly
If happiness is sought, good you must do
May great fortune follow those who are great
For wise deeds and kind acts bring a good fate

“Listen to your Heart” by Angelina Basso

Walking in a cloud of darkness full of lies
My head spinning, I don’t know where I have landed
And no one, no one seems to her my cries
But my head keeps telling me I am stranded
My mind begins to give up hope
As it lets my heart go into hiding
It’s strangled up by a rope
But my head and heart start colliding
My head says “this is the right path”
“It’s the one the world has traveled”
But my heart says “it’s the path of wrath”
The right path will be unraveled
The cloud of darkened begins to disappear
As the light begins to re appear

6) Free Verse

“Horrid Life of Luxury” by Jackson Bolz

Suffering from being one with luxury
Fortune’s claws are torturous
Terribly-trimmed are our plants and shrubbery
Such a horrid life I live
Why must one wait in coffee lines?
How could one possibly choose where he dines?
This chair is too stiff
My life holds no gifts
Such a horrid life I live
Why does YouTube have no care for me
It buffers and loads and advertises, that’s three!
Such a horrid life I live
I suffer education; I have to actually learn?
Must my mind from nothing to something turn?
What a horrid life I live…
I live the Horrid Life of Luxury

“Eyes opened” by Noelle Bergstrom

My head is cold
but my feet are hot
My phone is out of storage
But I need more
I live a rough life of disappointment
Things always let me down
I have too many options
Coke or Pepsi
Too many rooms to lose my remote
When my flight to a third world country is not direct
I die
But what I see opens my eyes
Children with ripped clothes
Mothers with children in fields
Not knowing where their food is coming from
Not knowing where to stay warm
I have lots and not give at all
They have little and give it all
My options are many
My space is a lot
First world problems
Is all I got

“The Day I Killed a Loved One” by Jack Sanger

No no no no no!
I dropped my phone
And I got a scratch on it
Live is over, now I’m just a lousy cone
The only thing that will make this better
Is if the devil blesses me with sweet relief
I’m done with everything
Like…. Cmon, why me?
What did I do? You see?
Just because of this
I’m hosting a funeral to my phone
It’s the only way to fix what I now miss
I could go to prison for dropping it
My best friend is still there today
Oh no I can’t let anyone know I gotta hide it
I’ve got to move to South America
I cannot be known as the phone killer
Yeah, yeah I will change my name
I will never own the same brand again
No one will ever know
Since I dropped my phone, I’ve gotta lay low

“Moon’s Eye” by Megan Suedkamp

I am moon’s eye, I watch the world pass by… I watch the world live, I watch the world die.

I look down and war is about, I go around sometimes I see love sprout. The love is brighter, but they choose war and war can’t cut as deep yet they let it spread wider.

Sometimes I laugh at how foolish they are.

They crave power and possession, though they are just the smallest speck from afar.

Just a body, a body with skin that can cut, flesh that will die, they spend their time believing they need to be the best, they need to be popular, though that is a lie.

I am moon’s eye I watch the world pass by…I watch the world live, I watch the world die.

Just a body, but a spirit that will glow inside, they can make a difference and leave an impact – it’s a choice you must decide.

I cross the earth look from peace to death, the peace exists we just need to learn to stop, love, take a second to take a breath.

The world is ugly, but also so beautiful, look from a new perspective, it might be amazingly different, magnificently unusual.

I am moon’s eye I watch the world pass by… I watch the world live and I watch the world die

“I Won’t Break” by Makayla Au

There is a girl everyone calls skinny,
There is a boy everyone calls fat.
There is a old man everyone calls ugly,
There is an old lady everyone calls crazy.
No one knows who they are
No one stops to ask
But if someone would, they would say
I will stand up strong
I won’t play along
Because I keep my head held high
Because I have hope on my side
You can rock my world
With hurtful words and untold lies
But I won’t break
You better see that I won’t break
No one knows the girl refuses to eat,
No one knows the boy has a serious disease.
No one knows the old man was injured fighting for our country,
No one knows the old lady has no one left in her family.
No one knows who they are
No one stops to ask
But if someone would, they would say
I will stand up strong
I won’t play along
Because I keep my head held high
Because I have hope on my side
You can rock my world
With hurtful words and and untold lies
But I won’t break
You better see that I won’t break
I won’t break
I won’t break
I won’t break
You can rock my world
With hurtful words and untold lies
But still I won’t break
You see I wasn’t meant to break

“First World Porblems” by: Lauren Stephens

My eyes come to meet the terrible news
that my phone is at 1%
I have the blues
As a tear streams down my face
my phone dies
Oh the tragedy
The pain
Ouch my brain
Now how am I going to find a lunch place without Siri?
As I head back to my mansion in my Lamborghini
My keys fall to the ground
But the ground is so far away
All I see is gray
I take a huge step out of my comfort zone
to reach down and get my keys
Oh gee I have to pick them up myself
I arrive at my mansion
but my house keeper is not here
And there is no more beer?
Oh the tragedy
The pain
I can’t have a dirty house
After a long journey I’m here
An outlet is finally near
And my phone reaches 10%
I call an organization called FWP (First World Problems)
But they were no help at all
They just Said,
“Stop it and get some help”
Then they hang up
I start to cry again
Thinking that they didn’t tell me what I wanted to hear
What has my life come to?
No house keeper when I have a speck of dust
On a desk that I never use
Or dropping my keys
Or maybe even receiving news
That I didn’t want to hear
Oh the pain
The agony
My life is ruined!

Lessons from a WWII Veteran: Student Response

Last week we were privileged and honored to host Metanoia guest speaker, Clayton Nattier (see photo above), World War II Air Force pilot, purple heart recipient and former POW. Mr. Nattier shared stories of his personal experiences leading his flight team, parachuting into enemy territory and enduring the hardships of life as a POW in a German prison camp. His compelling stories left an impression on Anastasis students. See some of their comments below:

Times are changing. It’s not before long when souls move on and their legacies remain. Thank you so much Clayton for sharing your inspirational story. I’m still amazed that I got to speak with a national treasure such as yourself. Your story showed me the dire importance of Bravery even when fear seems to crown itself, the importance of hope when the lights seem to fade away, and the power of love even when times seem as if they are out to destroy us. I encourage you to keep spreading your story and inspiring souls in this universe. Your story has made an impact on our world and an imprint on my heart.

Even with hardships I saw the amazing faith and positivity. The story that you shared with us is so special and heroic. It’s amazing to think that through trauma God has a plan for all of us. When you told the part of your story when you had to bail from your plane, I was astounded by your true bravery and courage. You have inspired me and I am so lucky to have heard your story. Thank you, Clayton, you are truly a national treasure. 

Thank you for teaching me something that I will never forget. Something that will not just be planted on my heart, but rooted in it. You taught me that when life is hard, God is good. That when life isn’t going how we planned, all we can do is put a smile on our face and believe. Believe that something will change. Believe that God isn’t a dictator or an enemy. He is a Father, our Father. “You were given this life because you are strong enough to live it.” You have taught me that it’s not just about how you have lived life, it’s about what you 

have learned from it. 

Thank you for serving in a hard war and wanting to do it again. Thank you for being vulnerable and talking about it. Thank you for sharing I learned that it helps to share your story so we can learn from it. Thank you for taking precious time out of your day. You are a great story. 

Clayton is truly an inspiration to this day. He had hope, faith, courage, and bravery in one of the most hardest times in history. Thank you so much Clayton for sharing your incredible story with us today. It is truely an honor to hear and see you to this day still living life to the fullest. Thank you for coming and serving your country.

Not many people will be able to say they have heard a story of a war hero. Today I was lucky enough to listen to Clayton’s story and how he protected our country. The most amazing thing ever to hear is that even though Clayton was a prison or of war, that he lost some great friends, that thousands of people died, he would do it all over again to protect our country. I would like to thank Clayton and all the veterans of World War Two for protecting myself and all the citizens of America. These veterans are treasures of the war that should 

never be forgotten.

Thank you, Mr. Clayton for everything you have done for our nation. I thank you for having served bravely with the love you have fueling your spirit. We are forever grateful to you for protecting our freedom and way of life, as well as protecting our independence. I thank you for that. I thank you for every act of love you have shared, and I thank you, most importantly, for never forgetting who you are.

Clayton was a brave and inspirational man. I loved hearing his story and that if he could change anything he wouldn’t. I loved hearing him talk about how he got to fly the airplanes and how much work that was. I took a lot away from this but something that I will remember for a long time is that he was brave and didn’t give up. Thank you Clayton for speaking to us and serving our country.

Clayton is a national treasure to many people. Not too many people are still alive today from WW II to show the new generation what true courage and bravery is. Thank you Clayton for sharing your story and being a primary source to all of us. My grandpa was a Colonel in the Army and hearing his stories was life changing and every single time I hear a story from experiences from war they all sound different in there own special way. Your faith and joy throughout your experience is inspiring to me to be more faithful and be brave. Thank you.

Clayton, thank you so much for all you have done for me and this country. Your really are a national treasure because there’s not many people left that are similar to you. I loved hearing your personal story and your experience in World War II. My favorite part on what you said was about how even in all that had happened to you, you still had hope. I think you were super brave to go and be apart of the war and you would still do it if you traveled back in time. 

May God bless you.  

Q Ideas Conference

|Kelly Tenkely|

Recently I had the privilege of attending and speaking at the South Denver Q Ideas Conference. It was truly wonderful to hear from passionate individuals from all walks of life. What I appreciated the most about each of the speakers was the intention to change the narrative and focus on the humanity in their respective realms of influence. This was a collection of change makers who are transforming the world by choosing to start with people. Amazing!

Below is the transcript of my Q Ideas talk about education reform:

Everyone in this room, and I would venture to guess, who will watch this video or read this blog post, have one thing in common: Education. And in a very real way, this commonality makes us all experts in education. We’ve all been through it and likely have varying degrees of opinion about how that worked for us and what needs to change. Because of our shared expert status, we hold assumptions about what education is and needs without really realizing it. Education reform is a hot topic in the media and in politics right now and we hear words like “no child left behind” and “race to the top” and then frame the conversation by talking about rigor, and in terms of tests, and standards, and competition with the rest of the world, and scores and grades. In a lot of ways, this expert status and these assumptions hold us back from making the changes needed in education. We assume things like schools must include tests and grades. How else will we know if a student knows something? How will we know if we’ve done a good job educating.

When I decided to start a school 4 years ago, it was motivated by one thing: students who have names. I mention that they have names, because too often when we make decisions about education reform, we make these sweeping statements about “students” and very quickly they become numbers, and scores, and faceless beings. I was a teacher who saw that I had all these incredibly brilliant CREATED individuals who had names and stories to go with those names, but were being made to look exactly the same. Being asked to fit the same mold, to learn things at the same time. I had this sense of urgency to change things for these kids. Because I knew their names, I knew their stories. This is Camryn and Maddie, our youngest students when I started Anastasis Academy. When we make decisions at Anastasis, we do so with these two in mind. We do so knowing these students and these stories. Kids don’t have the luxury of waiting for us to get this right. They keep growing.

The problem with most education reform is that it is continually attempts to change surface level systems while hoping for deep systemic change as a result. What we actually end up with at the school level is new mandates. We hear politicians wax poetic about the new rigorous curriculum, the new testing mandates that are going to ensure that kids get the best, new technology in classrooms. Everything gets turned upside down and inside out, and the end result is the same, the new push ends up in a heap shoveled to the side when the next new idea comes along.

At Anastasis, we’ve been camped out in Romans 12 for a few weeks with our students. It strikes me that the idea of renewing our minds is exactly what is needed in education. With all the new initiatives that are added, we never really change our minds about what education is and what it needs. We continue approaching the problem with the same assumptions and no matter what new shine we add, the result is the same. Swirl.

And so this is my challenge for all of us. A renewing of our minds. A stripping away of the assumptions of what education must look like and starting with the most important thing. Students who are uniquely created. Students who have names and with those names stories. At Anastasis Academy what we do looks vastly different from what you see in most schools. We didn’t make change for the sake of change. We made it for Camryn and for Maddie, and for all of our other students with names.

And so when we engage the world of education from that standpoint, it looks much more like an unleashing students who are capable of the extraordinary. Starting from the assumption that we have students who have a unique purpose and gift for the world, we offer learning fueled by curiosity and passion instead of the test. We give students opportunities to learn how to properly manage their freedom rather than sit in desks and rows. We model mindfulness and community. We provide opportunities for growth rather than stifling learning with a grade that ends it.

Maddie and Camryn are more than a collection of facts that they’ve memorized. These young women have absolute genius that this world needs. When we think about education, it has to begin with the humanity, with the students that have names. We must stop focusing on the finish line (as if learning has one!) and instead engage in this idea of Metanoia, the journey of renewing one’s mind, heart, self, or way of life.