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Poetry Pals Brings Students Together

Olive Tree Arts Network

Updated: Jul 30, 2024


May 22, 2024


One by one, each student from Sacred Heart Academy Catholic School removed their shoes upon entering the Muslim Education Center Mosque in Morton Grove. The fourth graders were welcomed by their peers who were also their hosts from the Muslim Community Center Academy, where they learned the tenets of Islam. The Christian students eagerly asked the Imam thoughtful questions.

 

There were more questions than time, so after awhile, the students broke off into small groups where they participated in the two-hour workshop. Adam Gottlieb, teaching artist and curriculum developer, ignited the conversation by asking students how it feels when someone takes the time to learn more about them. Hands shot up. One student said, "It brings peace," while another added, "It allows us to be in each other's company without judgment, we connect better.”

 

Since 2008, the Chicago-based Olive Tree Arts Network has been bringing its poetry pals program to several private schools of Christian, Muslim and Jewish faiths. The art-focused curriculum is taught in four, two and a half hour sessions, January through May.

 

Muhammad, a 10-year-old who demonstrated the Muslim prayer, likes the program because it fosters understanding of diverse religions. “We are different, yet we share many similarities,” said Muhammad. Frida from Sacred Heart, experiencing her first visit to a mosque, said, "It was an amazing experience to walk into their holy place of worship. Entering a mosque demands respect, same as when one enters my church.”

 

In February, Chicago Jewish Day School students met with students from Sacred Heart and toured their Catholic church.  Sacred Heart Academy religion teacher Arlene Carlucci says the program aligns well with their mission “because we welcome children of all faiths. Our students learn about Islam, Ramadan and the Jewish holidays such as Passover. It is always exciting and quite the education for our students to experience first-hand what they have been learning in the classroom.”  

 

Ilene Siemer, executive director of Olive Tree Network, is pleased that schools chose to participate in the program despite the current political climate in the Middle East. "Our mission is to foster understanding, empathy, and cooperation in a multicultural society through creative expression. I believe we have successfully accomplished that. We look forward to next year and hope to enlist more schools to take part in our program.”

 

The students concluded this year’s session by reading aloud some of their poems including this one:

 

We are from the joy with family

We are from the gathering of our families on Ramadan

We are from chicken on Shabbat to latkes on Chanukkah

We are from the giving of Christmas

and opening presents with my family

We are from the presents from Baltazar, Melcior, and Caspar

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