Poets have been frequent faces in the LaConner schools during the 2017-2018 school year thanks to the school district’s partnership with the Skagit River Poetry Foundation. Poets are in classrooms during one-week residencies in all three district schools, providing students with professional mentoring and important opportunities for self-expression and exposure to diverse voices.

Terri Bakke-Schultz, coordinator for the Skagit River Poetry Foundation, says that she has “seen firsthand how empowering poetry can be for students. What an impact the Poetry Foundation has had on the lives of teachers and students, helping them share their joys and sorrows with the world.”

LaConner High School students worked with poet Jeremy Voight in March in Bryan Milliren and Suzann Keith’s classes. Also in March, poet Tim McNulty worked with students in the LaConner Middle School in the classrooms of Aly Sehlin, Lauren Hippenstiel and Georgia Johnson. In May Bellingham poet Jeffrey Morgan will be working at LaConner Elementary School, and Native American poet Jennifer Foerster will be in residence May 14-16.

The Skagit Poetry Foundation began in the LaConner Schools with superintendent Tim Bruce and curriculum director Kathy Shoop’s dream of emulating Kathy’s brother, Jim Haba’s, creation of a poetry festival featuring the finest poets from around the world working with high school students in workshops and readings at the Geraldine R. Dodge Festival in New Jersey. With the aid of seed grant money, the Skagit River Poetry Project was born in 1998 and began to put poets in a four county area, from Bellingham to San Juan Island to Oak Harbor.

Twenty years later their dream has empowered thousands of students. Over time the poetry project has moved from the LaConner School District to create its own nonprofit entity, the Skagit River Poetry Foundation, with its office in LaConner. The Foundation’s mission of putting poets in local classrooms continues to thrive and grow, with profession poets in 175 days of classroom residencies around Skagit, Whatcom and Island counties.

Molly McNulty. The Foundation’s executive director, reflecting on a recent reading involving five local student poets, from elementary school to high school, said, “I had goosebumps listening to student poets talk about why poetry and poets in the classroom are important. Their poise and passion were the backdrop to this wonderous evening.”

The 10th biennial Skagit River Poetry Festival is from May 17th to May 20th with poets from around the world and featuring former three time U.S. poet laureate Robert Pinsky,

Students from LaConner High School and seven other school districts and Skagit Valley College will be attending a student only day on May 18th with workshops and readings. Friday night and all day Saturday are open to the public.

Check out the events schedule at skagitriverpoetry.org.

Steven Dolmatz is the president of the board of the Skagit River Poetry Foundation and a poet, musician and retired high school English teacher.