Creative Writing students reflect on the impact of their class

By Jesse San Miguel

Staff Writer

Creative Writing as Performance is an Expeditions class taught at Summit Tahoma High School where students are required to write poems and stories. Students are also taught how to present and the elements that are required while performing, such as body posture, arm movement and voice.

This course impacts students by allowing their minds to run wild with creativity and feelings. Leo Hernandez, a senior at Tahoma, said, “I actually put my feelings and thoughts in my poems … I write what’s a part of me in life so I feel more proud of my poems.”

Liz DeOrnellas, the Creative Writing teacher, works hard to give students a space where they are able to be free with their writing. She said, “We’ve rewritten the curriculum so there are … more opportunities to share what they are writing, so we’ve really focused on how to be confident enough in your work that you are OK to present.” This allows students to be more involved and to be invested in their work as they should be.

See below for a video about the Creative Writing as Performance course:

Featured image (at the top of this post): Tahoma freshmen Savannah Mills and Daniela Cuevas present their work during a Poetry Slam. PHOTO CREDIT: Max Taniguchi-King