ROSELAND — For 10 students at Fenger Academy High School, poetry offers an escape from the problems of growing up in the city — as well as a creative outlet to "be the voice of the voiceless," as one teen put it.
The students are members of a poetry club that formed last year at the school at 11220 S. Wallace St. Students said the club has been a welcome place where they can get honest critique on their writing in a welcoming environment.
"This program is a space for those interested in perfecting their art and becoming a better writer," said instructor Elizabeth Elie, who started the club with counselor Charles Miles.
RELATED: FENGER PRINCIPAL LIZ DOZIER, STAR OF 'CHICAGOLAND,' ON HER DECISION TO LEAVE CPS
The aspiring rappers, singers and poets help critique each other, she said. Some of the students have performed at "Louder Than A Bomb," a monthlong poetry festival that gives a voice to young people by providing a platform for poets to share their stories.
The club has been particularly important for students at Fenger, which was featured in CNN's 2014 series, "Chicagoland," which chronicled the efforts of former principal Liz Dozier to turn things around at the school. The school's enrollment plummeted after 2009, when video of a mob beating death of Derrion Albert, a student at the school, drew national attention to the city's violence problems.
The school's 260 students are nearly all black and from low-income households.
Current Fenger seniors Jeremy Waldron and Stevn Wells, both 17, have been in the poetry club since it formed.
“I take writing very seriously,” Stevn said.
Stevn said he started writing at age 12, when he was bullied in school, and most often writes about his life.
“A lot of people close to my age, or younger than me, have low self-esteem,” he said. “I just want to write that poem, not only for me to be heard, but for them to be heard. I want to be the voice of the voiceless.”
One of his pieces recognizes that his poetry is not run-of-the-mill:
"Poetry is blissful, Poetry is peaceful/Not with me, this poetry is evil/ It’s made me see through, scratching and clawing, emotionally lethal, biting and gnawing, got me getting attached to people, kicking and screaming/The world to me is an optometrist, it’s made me see things I never thought would exist because the dark soul has left Stevn."
Jeremy said he also was bullied, and he addresses that issue in his poetry.
“I used to get severely bullied in elementary school, and it affected me later in life,” he said. “It was very bad.”
As a coping mechanism he would start laughing at everything, he said, and he felt himself become less social. He chose to attend Fenger, he said because he wanted to go where his elementary classmates weren’t going so he could start a “new chapter in life,” he said.
Stevn Wells is in the poetry club at Fenger and is competing in the Walgreens Expressions Challenge for the chance to win up to $2,000. [Fenger High School]
Jeremy first got interested in writing toward the end of seventh grade. He said his reading teacher encouraged him to give it a try since he already was illustrating his own graphic novels. In high school, he learned that a friend was into creative arts, too. The two of them caught the attention of Miles, who persuaded them to join the poetry club junior year.
RELATED: LEE MCCOLLUM, FORMER PROM KING AT FENGER, SHOT TO DEATH
“He saw the potential in both of us,” said Jeremy, who has a 4-month-old daughter.
This year, club members have entered into the Walgreens Expressions Challenge for the chance to win up to $2,000.
The creative contest for high school students in the Chicago area is sponsored by the drugstore chain. Students, who can register to compete through Nov. 30, must submit a creative piece of writing that addresses healthy choices and helps their peers make healthy decisions.
Teens have selected topics important to them in the past, such as violence prevention, bullying, self-esteem, abstinence, sexually transmitted disease prevention, sexual responsibility awareness and sexting.
Three first-place winners will win $2,000 each, and three second-place winners win $1,250. A first- and second- place winner will be chosen from each category: creative writing, visual arts and multimedia.
Elie said she wants all the students in the club to enter.
“It’s giving students the opportunity to express themselves,” she said. “It also helps them if they’re applying for college, and it’s good way to be competitive.”
Walgreens spokesman John Gremer said this creative challenge is good for today’s teens who are constantly faced with negative influences.
"Walgreens is proud to offer this platform for students to dig deep, find their authentic voice and creatively express themselves,” Gremer said. “Walgreens wants to influence positive behaviors that lead to positive outcomes. And for many, art and prose are means to unleash those positive behaviors."
For more neighborhood news, listen to DNAinfo Radio here.
