The Hidden Poetry Exhibition

Reporters: Tori Henderson (Tear 7) & Chae Conte (Year 7)

Editor: Ms McLoughlin

In Term 3, LIHS featured the Hidden Poetry exhibition in the school library. This exhibition displayed poems created by students from years 7 - 10. Ms McLoughlin created the exhibition and recorded a virtual tour of the Hidden Poetry Exhibition for families.

Due to current COVID-19 restrictions, we were unable to host an official opening of the exhibition; however, the virtual tour still allows parents, carers, families, and community members to view the fantastic poems created by LIHS students. Watch the video below, as Ms McLoughlin takes us on a tour of the exhibition.

Ms McLoughlin stated:

Hi, I'm Miss McLoughlin, and I'm an English teacher at Lake Illawarra High School. During the period of remote learning, junior English students were studying poetry from home. When they returned to school, we attempted to re-engage students by entering their poems in Red Room's national 'Poetry Object' competition. We are very proud of Cooper Baker for his poem 'Phone' featuring in the top 20 best poems. And Byron Arif's poem 'PS4' which was a highly commended poem and rated among the top high school poems in all of Australia.

Students from Years 7 - 10 entered this competition, composing beautiful poems about objects or talismans which hold deep personal importance. Due to the fantastic efforts of our students, I created the 'Hidden Poetry' exhibition at our school. The exhibition featured student poems as well as artworks created by Year 7 students which transformed their poems in secretive or interactive pieces of art.

The exhibition was intended to open with a ceremony featuring carers and family members; however, due to current COVID restrictions, I have, instead, created a virtual tour of the exhibition.

The exhibition opened on the 2nd of September and ran until Friday the 11th of September. Students and staff were encouraged to visit the exhibition in the school library and vote for their favourite poem. These votes were important as students had the opportunity to win one of the three categories of the Hidden Poetry exhibition. The three categories included: best poem, best artwork, and people's choice. The student poem which received the most votes would win People's Choice, the English faculty chose the best poem award, and the CAPA faculty chose the best artwork.

All students who submitted poems to the Hidden Poetry exhibition received certificates. A big congratulations to Keeley-Jane Kinzett for winning the People's Choice medal. To Chae Conte for winning the best artwork medal. And to Trinity Chandler for winning the best poem medal. Thank you to all students for entering your poems into the exhibition, and we hope to run the second Hidden poetry exhibition in 2021 at Lake Illawarra High School.

Well done to all students who participated in the exhibition and submitted their poems and artworks. Hopefully, we will see the Hidden Poetry exhibition again next year in 2021.