It’s here again.  A season that seems to occasionally fill in for the lost summers, summers often too hot to go outside, too hot to be able to breathe, and simply passed by and arriving at your door stop in another form.  Fall and the C word, cornucopia. 

a symbol of plenty consisting of a goat’s horn overflowing with flowers, fruit, and corn.

I picture the cutouts that are sold among many decorations people could buy and often wondered, where exactly do I see a cornucopia outside of the stacks of decorations I would see as a child in stores when the Fall season hit?   The last few weeks have certainly been a blur, and often, I find myself just – momentarily blinded from the onslaught of event after event, and yet, this blog has always served as a reason to go back, process, and process again.

The cornucopia of events on September 19th were pretty astounding and worth appreciating when it involved what happened at WHS.  Knowing as a media specialist librarian I want to represent more than shelved books, the Dewey Decimal System, and improvements in literacy that simply remain in a certain area, I am blessed to be surrounded by individuals that believe in that vision as well,  There are always naysayers, there are always those that ride the wave of summer and simply ride the days in and out, yet never get deep enough to see the creativity and possibility of depth.  

September 19th brought, as a different presentation than the Twin Poets who came last year,  who were amazing last year, The Mayhem Poets, who I had never heard of. Yet, The Freeman Foundation did promise to bring an act that would be inspiring and a GREAT introduction to what can be achieved with the mix – a cornucopia if you will, of literacy, creativity, production, as well as expression. 

Denise Allen and the Mayehm Poets from The Freeman Foundation

In the course of preparing for this event, I realized, AGAIN, what separates the teacher from the educator is the willingness to turn so much over to students and let education become a cornucopia of experience for all. Throughout my whole teaching career, I have always seen those content enough to put time in at the bell, end at the bell, and da dum. Done.  Those are some good teachers as well, but the educators are those that can make that time between those bells seem like endless possibilities, instill dreams in those that encounter these educators, and the educators that work behind the scenes to create something that seems like a production day in and day out.  

I am lucky enough to see educators at WHS that pull countless hours behind the scenes to pull of what at first seems like a one day assembly, and what really is the start fo something that can inspire, instill, and insist in more positive change in literacy, creativity, and possibility.  From theatre production, technical arrangement, logistics of performances, time spent arranging performers to motivate students to participate in such an underestimated program like Poetry Out Loud,

that show off amazing students that will go the extra mile to capture insight into experiences, both on audio and video, there is so much that can be packed into one event, SO MUCH, as long as you have an individual that can sense this before an event.

September 19th might have looked like simply an assembly to show what could be with a program like Poetry Out Loud with some very talented performers like The Mayhem Poets.  Look a little closer – you will see a cornucopia of talent that you will hear, see, and process once you see the student led video, and student led interviews from this one single event.  Not that is one season I am ready to dive into.  Stay tuned for the interview and video that leads you from one event such as The Mayhem Poets, to the possibility of Poetry Out Loud – through the delivery and promotion of an emerging literary arts magazine, The Riff,  at Woodbridge High School – who said literacy had to be a boring component of education?

With the announcement that Repentino. 2017-2018, (and wow, looking back to 2014 

and the huge steps that were made to get to a level where art is expected)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v8eF1vp998I&feature=youtu.be

(check out 8:57 time marker on the above video)

has won the Gold Crown from CSPA as well as more accolades to come, it is a lesson taught that pushing what is possible, as far as you can, is the responsibility of everyone to achieve the very best – in the future of students and the present of educators and education itself.  Without this cornucopia of tools used and pulled out on a daily basis, the day and educational year can be pretty bland, imagine what it can be like for students!  Students carry the dreams of what can be and what is not yet, and education truly needs to be continued to be recognized for rising above anything that is considered a standard, and it is up to the cornucopia of talents melded together to make that happen – educators, parents, students, legislators, and so many more, to make that happen.