On February 22, 2024, six Arrowhead High School students were published in the Youth Be Heard sijo collection. Sijo poems are a Korean form of poetry written in three lines, each line consisting of four groups of one to five syllables with a total of 14-16 syllables per line. There must be 44-46 syllables total in the poem. The last line must also include an unexpected twist. 

The six that were chosen were Senior Alaina Raddatz, Junior Katie Weitner, Senior Marina Evans, Senior Rachel Druckery, Senior Ciarah Allen, Senior Zach Bruhn and Senior Annie Tanke. 

Youth Be Heard is an online gallery for youth writing and art. Their mission is to elevate youth expression so people can inspire each other and the world. Youth Be Heard’s vision is for all youth to believe in their own value and potential to create something special to them. 

Theatre

By Zach Bruhn, 18, Wisconsin

Theatre, a way of life, 

        its vastness for all; though good and bad. 

Hours of tech, rehearsing for days,  

        all for our joy and for yours. 

Burning down, malfunction on stage;

        theater lost, but that’s show business.

Bruhn says, “This Sijo poem is about my passion for theater and how when things go wrong, I take it semi-personally.” 

When submitting to Youth Be Heard, students will receive a customized response; their work will go through an editing process; and may be selected for publication. 

The six AHS students selected for publication in the sijo showcase created these poems in their creative writing class where they learned and created different types of poems, writings and letters.

Evans says, “Within my creative writing class, poetry and writing created an outlet for me through expressing myself. In my projects, I tried to create personal representations of emotion, while also trying to relate to readers.”

Cocoon

By Katie Weitner, 16, Wisconsin

Curled up and cold, I face my knees, I close my eyes, bones frigid, fragile.

The night laughs. At me, I assume. Moonlight scolds him. I try to sleep.

Daylight knocks warmly on my door. I let her in, and we chat.

Facade

By Marina Evans, 17, Wisconsin

“Are you okay?” she repeats, looking at my sorrowful face. 

I look away, in a cloudy trance of embarrassment and shame. 

I look up, with inevitable tears, and say, “I’m fine.” 

Elimination

By Rachel Druckery, 17, Wisconsin

COVID eliminated memories during my freshman year; 

missing football games, homecoming, and many days of school. 

You were taken away too soon, I will remember you Bill. 

It Will. It Will. It Will.

By Ciarah Allen, 18, Wisconsin

Blue drops of water fall uncontrollably. When will they stop?

Thoughts circle, sway, and crash over my head. This always happens. 

Confusion of how my smile went away. It will come back, right? 

Alone

By Annie Tanke, 17, Wisconsin

I sit alone in my room and my brain fills with my thoughts,

I sit alone on the couch, but I like the extra space,-

I sit alone at school, but it gets really lonely

Hallelujah

By Marina Evans, 17, Wisconsin

As we sing, the harmonies are filling the hospital room. 

I hold her hand, trying to hide my sadness and tear-filled eyes. 

She is smiling, enjoying the last song she’ll ever hear.