On a sunny mid-April day this year, McMurray Middle School (MMS) 7th graders streamed into Heron Meadow, the wetland next door to Vashon Center for the Arts, to celebrate the launch of “Minor Poetry: The Book of Bad Grammar,” a book of poetry they wrote together.

The book was produced by four classes of seventh graders under the supervision of English teacher Mandy Davis. Funded by Vashon Partners in Education (PIE) the poetry book project was designed to provide an immersive, hands-on experience with creative writing and publishing.

The students worked on all aspects of book production each and submitted a poem for inclusion in “Minor Poetry.”

Throughout the fall and winter, the students formed small groups of up to six each based on a survey about their interests. Each group chose its team leader and handled a specific part of the book — including proofreading, editorial, graphic design, writing the front- and back-matter, illustration marketing and production.

The students coordinated with the other teams, and learned to break tasks down and record their progress. They had to stay flexible and collaborate, and they developed practical skills like requesting resources and following through on a complex, multi-pronged project.

Davis, who graduated from the Teaching Fellows program in New York City, said her professors stressed the importance of students having what they called a “Big Hairy Audacious Goal.”

“Publishing a book with the students was big enough to keep us motivated. There were things we needed to figure out that had real-life meaning as well as hitting state standards.” she said.

Student Olissa Colagrossi, head of marketing, and her team organized and executed a successful bake-sale fundraiser for the book-launch party. This included orchestrating multiple reservations for Heron Meadow as well as juggling schedules with many moving parts.

One of the things Colagrossi found challenging was coordinating with adults over the phone and via email. But she persevered. She said that overall, “Working together works well, a lot better than some people think.”

Seventh grader Elliot Porter led the editing team. He proofed the poems and assigned sections for his team to work on. Porter said the final edit took about one-and-a-half weeks to complete, and his favorite part was reading the poems.

Porter said the most challenging part involved getting team members to meet their deadlines. “Teamwork does really matter because there were a lot of poems and if only one person worked on them it would have taken a lot of time,” he said.

Olivia Cobb headed the graphic design effort. She and her team considered the visual aspects of the book, such as its readability, visual appeal, and the overall look of the finished product. They selected the layout, fonts and illustrations and designed the front cover.

Hands-on projects allow students to learn by doing, which strengthens learning and retention. Knowing how to ask for things, setting ideas in motion, leading and supporting, solving problems and working jointly with disparate personalities — these skills cross over into all endeavors.

Students learned to express themselves creatively while managing a deadline-driven project.

The project allowed students to take action in a safe and supportive environment — an empowering way to try out new skills. And poetry, playful or contemplative, allows students to explore themes of the human experience. Creative endeavors help us process and find meaning from all sorts of experiences in our lives, including the difficult ones.

In her short poem “Before I Was a…” Mara P. wrote: “Before I was a book / I was a story, inside a mind / Before I was a story / I was an idea / Before I was an idea / I was a wild / and free imagination.”

With help from the island community, PIE continues to support activities and materials for experiential learning projects designed by the educators closest to the students they teach. It is a 501(c)(3) non-profit whose goal is to enhance the learning environment in Vashon’s public schools.

To learn more about PIE and how you can support innovative teacher-led projects in Vashon’s schools, visit vashonpie.org. PIE welcomes donations, big or small. PIE will participate in the Give Big campaign on May 6 and 7; donations can be made to PIE’s website or by check mailed to PIE at P.O. Box 1645, Vashon, WA 98070.

“Minor Poetry: The Book of Bad Grammar” is available on Amazon, and may also be available at Vashon library at the time of this article’s publication.

Marie Koltchak is the secretary of the Partners in Education board.

Maxwell Woodget checks out the newly published book “Minor Poetry.” (Courtesy photo)

Elliot Porter, an editing lead, said he enjoyed reading the poems. (Courtesy photo)

Olissa Colagrossi, one of the marketing leads, said that teamwork pulled the fundraiser together. (Courtesy photo)