Colonial begins district Diversity Poetry Project

Colonial School District  |  Posted on

Each class at Plymouth Elementary School learned and recorded a line from the poem.

The kindergarten through third grade students at Plymouth Elementary School (PE) recently kicked off the Colonial School District’s Diversity Poetry Project with a reading of the poem “Diversity” by Ahmad Cox.

PE Acting Principal Kylene Phillips and Assistant Principal Kelly Udovich introduced the poem in a read-aloud for the students. Then each class learned and recorded a line of the poem, and the lines were pieced together into a video. The poem is accompanied by Plymouth Whitemarsh High School Senior Nathan Cideciyan playing “Lift Every Voice and Sing” on the violin.

“COVID has made it really difficult to engage in community-building activities, so seeing the entire school community come together for a virtual poetry reading is something really special,” said Ms. Phillips. “The poem really got to the heart of our efforts during Black History Month, in that it’s about recognizing the wonderful and beautiful ways people are diverse and the importance of learning to be ‘human together.'”

The school worked with Colonial School District’s Diversity, Equity and Instruction Officer Gerald James, who will be taking the diversity poetry project to all seven schools in the district.