Project combines visual, written arts for end result

For poet Sara Cooper, writing is a joy.

During the 2010-2011 school years, she's been attempting to help seventh-graders at Kaleidoscope Middle School see what she means.

Cooper visits the students' English class weekly to teach creative writing through the nonprofit Writers in School program.

Currently, she and Camilo Gonzalez, video archivist with Aurora Picture Show, are helping the students channel their creativity into film projects, which will be presented to their Bellaire-based school at 8:30 a.m. Thursday, May 26.

The project has captivated the students, Cooper said, even those who had been reluctant to write before now. And they've been dazzling her with their efforts.

"It's pretty amazing to see what the kids are capable of," she said.

The film project calls for creating storyboards, designing sets and shooting footage with stop animation techniques.

The project definitely has struck a chord with the students, teacher Stacey Peterson said.

"I don't think I've ever seen them work as hard on anything, ever."

The students' creative, low-budget props have ranged from action figures and dolls to dyed-blue rice that illustrates rain.

"This project is a first for WITS," said Cooper, a southeast Houston resident. "It's great to be able to combine the written arts with the visual arts."

Writers in the Schools, originally known as the University of Houston Creative Writing Program was founded in 1983. The program sends professional writers and graduate students who are studying writing into classrooms, hospitals, museums, libraries and juvenile facilities to teach creative writing.

"The idea is to promote literacy and evoke a love for reading and writing," Communications Manager Jennifer Watson said.

"We want to show children, in an age of standardized testing, that writing can be fun.

"I think they do look forward to the reprieve they get when our writers come in to their classroom.

"It's a freedom to write from your heart."

Kaleidoscope Middle School, 6501 Bellaire Blvd., primarily serves an immigrant population with a number of students who are still working on their English skills.

The students represent numerous nationalities, Peterson said.

"It's been really nice to see them working together."

Cooper spent her first semester at Kaleidoscope Middle School teaching poetry. "I tried to get the students away from the idea that poetry has to rhyme or be a certain way, and I introduced them to contemporary poetry."

Students were encouraged to write about their own lives.

For Cooper, working with the students has been an unforgettable experience. "They inspire me," she said. "They approach poetry in a fresh way. They are really wonderful kids."

For more information about Writers in the Schools, visit www.witshouston.org.