Mrs. Tirse's Language Enrichment Classroom was transformed into a 1950s Beat-generation poetry coffee house as Fourth and Fifth Graders welcomed families for a year-end poetry celebration. After months of writing, revising, and rehearsing, students stepped up to the microphone to read their original poems — greeted by warm lighting, café tables, coffee, pastries, and the soft snap of fingers in appreciation. The Poetry Coffee House has become one of the most anticipated traditions of the year. Inspired by the smoky cafés of Greenwich Village — where poets like Allen Ginsberg, Lawrence Ferlinghetti, and Langston Hughes shared their work in intimate gatherings — the event invites students to inhabit that same spirit of artistic courage and community. During the school year, students explored different poetic forms and voices, studying rhythm, imagery, and the power of carefully chosen words. Each student shared a piece of their own writing — some funny, some reflective, some quietly moving — while working on the art of reading aloud: pace, projection, and the quiet confidence to let a line truly land. Poetry Coffee House Celebrates Original Student Poems The Poetry Coffee House is a celebration of voice — of the careful work behind every line, and of the courage it takes to share your writing with the people who love you most. The evening offered a beautiful glimpse of the thoughtful, expressive young people our students are becoming. Thank you to Mrs. Tirse, to the families who filled the room with such love, and especially to our Fourth and Fifth Grade poets. Keep writing. Keep sharing. Keep snapping!
