The SpiralBridgePoets in the Classroom Project comes alive with The New Jersey Historical Society and Mario J. Drago School #3.

Just as great poets of the past told epic tales of history, thirty 6th graders from Mario Drago School #3 in Passaic are poetically expressing responses to their own historical past.

Under a new initiative of its annual Adopt-a-School program, The New Jersey Historical Society, in collaboration with poets of the Montclair-based nonprofit organization SpriralBridge, is creating lessons that combine poetry with primary sources from the historical society's archives and library. While learning how a museum exhibition is put together, and designing their own exhibit based on primary sources, including poetry by NJ poets and archival photographs, the students are using poetry to tell stories of the past, express their responses to history and relate more personally to those events.

A poetry reading, along with visuals created by the students, will be presented at the Adopt-a-Schools Exhibit opening reception on Thursday, May 19, from 4:00 pm - 6:30 pm at The New Jersey Historical Society, 52 Park Place, Newark. For more information on The New Jersey Historical Society and SpiralBridge, please visit www.jerseyhistory.org and www.spiralbridge.org

The SpiralBridge Poets in the Classroom Project provides youth innovative programs that stimulate learning across curricula, expand young people's literacy, leadership and communication skills; provides support, guidance, and school-based professional development to artists and teachers; and creates and supports platforms for community/parent involvement.

If you are a classroom teacher and/or an after school leader in Northern NJ and interested in bringing Poetry and the Arts to your young people, please contact Jesse Taylor @ all2human@gmail.com

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