COLUMBUS, Miss. (CMSD) – Writing poetry might be low on the list of hobbies for most 7th-grade students, but not for Edwar Mendoza.
“All poems are beautiful,” said the Columbus Middle School student.
He mostly writes his poetry in Spanish, his native language. However, for the Mississippi Poetry Contest and others, he wrote in English and placed second in the state.
“It makes me very happy. I love to write. Many of my poems are about love, sadness, or romance,” said Mendoza.
While poetry may allow Edwar to express his feelings, music is another passion that he has found. Edwar plays the clarinet in the Columbus Middle School band.
He also loves challenging himself.
“It is fun to conquer those obstacles (of learning music and writing poetry in English). I’m doing something productive with my time and helping others,” said Mendoza.
Karen Solorio is Edwar’s EL teacher. In fact, she’s the EL teacher for the entire school district. 12 nationalities are represented in CMSD.
“I love our students. They are just like the other students in the district. Our EL learners do have to work a bit harder as they adjust to the culture and to the academic requirements,” said Solorio.
Solorio understands what it’s like to be an EL learner in the Columbus Municipal School District. She is an alumnus of CMSD. Solorio’s father was in the Air Force. Her family moved here when she was still in school.
“I know what it is like to not have any family around, maybe they are lonely. I understand learning about the culture and learning the different rules of the English language. While I can connect with our students on that level, I also let them know about the services we can provide,” said Solorio.
Solorio sees active learners each day who are bright and have bright futures. Students like Edwar know what it’s like to overcome obstacles, and those battles have brought him some early-life wisdom.
“I love this school and my teachers. No matter how bad things happen in life, you can cry or get angry. You can bottle it up or let it all out. If you let it all out and fight back the bad things, it helps you remember the good times and how to enjoy them,” said Mendoza.
Columbus Middle School student May Saleh, also an EL learner, received an Honorable Mention in the 8th-grade category of the state poetry contest.
