Would you want extra college credits for taking a poetry class in high school? Well, with the new course, Ms. Bellows, College Poetry teacher, introduced to Cathedral Catholic High School this year, students were quick to sign up. Being the first year introducing College Poetry, only a handful of students were picked to partake in the elective. Would you be interested in taking it? Sophomores Brooke Volpp and Addison Kulik share their thoughts.

Brooke Volpp ‘28 says, “I would 100% want to take this class next year.” As a first-time student enrolling in the class, she adds, “The discussions have opened me up to thousands of new ideas and perspectives and this class has really just allowed me to be free with my writing.”

Ms. Bellows has been studying poetry since elementary school, earned her bachelor’s degree in writing and poetry, and has taught Harvard’s Poetry in America program for 14 years. With her extensive experience with the art of poetry, Cathedral’s poetry program has a bright future. Ms. Bellows’ course benefits the students in a myriad of ways.

“Besides six college credits, academically it sharpens close reading, analytical writing, and understanding literary devices through studying the forms.” It’s hard to believe there’s really any downside to this course!

Partnered with Arizona State University, it encourages all students to read and write more poetry. Volpp states: “When you find the perfect piece of poetry that’s right for you, it really changes your world; the way you write, and the way you think as a person.”

Being open about delving deeper into the art of poetry, Volpp is able to relate to many different aspects to poetry.

Addison Kulik ‘28 shares how “this course will benefit me because it shows as a college credit on my transcript, and it will be a boost on my GPA, which is always good.”

From a class ranging from sophomores to seniors, Kulik notes how the class is overall a great, collaborative class as an environment, that is open to hearing and building off of others’ ideas during Harkness discussions: a student-led approach where participants actively engage in collaborative learning by sharing ideas, questions, and insights from an assigned poetry piece they previously analyzed.

Collectively, from the overall feedback, the College Poetry class will push you to become a better student, create an environment where students are focused and ready to learn, as well as a transformative, rigorous, and fun class to have the opportunity to be a part of.