LAKEVIEW — It can be hard to keep up with the latest fads for kids (remember Silly Bandz?), but a Thursday night event will shed some light on what students are into now.
StudentsXpress, a magazine for Chicago Public Schools students, will host its second SPEAKS! event at The Nettelhorst School, 3252 N. Broadway, at 6 p.m. Thursday (doors open at 5:45 p.m.). There is a suggested $5 donation, which is used for delivery costs for future issues. There will also be a raffle for two Blue Man Group tickets.
Thirty students from Nettelhorst, Waters, Hamilton, Blaine, Talcott, Alcott Prep and Patrick Henry elementary schools will be sharing their work published in the Spring 2015 issue of StudentsXpress, which focused on "What I'm Into Now."
"It's a great experience for the kids to get up on stage and express themselves like that. Some of these kids really blow me away with their confidence and how comfortable they are," said Rachel Switall, creator of StudentsXpress.
In the most recent issue, some of the personal essays are long, while others are quite short. Some students send in drawings, while others write poetry. Students in preschool through eighth grade write about their favorite movies or sports, hobbies and music.
"I like 'Uptown Funk' because it brings me back to the days that I missed when I wasn't born yet. Also, the video is sooooooo funny! Bruno Mars makes the song upbeat, but besides that, it is just like a '90s song that my mom listens to all the time," wrote Maysa B.
In addition to the readings, artwork from recent issues — with themes centered around family and peace — will be on display.
The magazine and SPEAKS! event provide a way for students from different schools to learn from one another, Switall said. StudentsXpress also aims to promote creativity and literacy and boost self-esteem.
"When they all get together, it's more like a community. And when the kids are reading their own work, it sounds so different than if you're reading it in the paper," she told DNAinfo Chicago.
StudentsXpress is published quarterly and is delivered to 15 CPS schools and every Chicago Public Library branch. The tutoring program Working in the Schools brings copies to additional schools, but Switall said she would like to see the magazine's reach continue to expand.
For more neighborhood news, listen to DNAinfo Radio here:
