After a day of writing and revamping, a group of fifth and sixth graders will perform poetry at Willis Education Center, bringing an end to their Poetry Jam camping.

Julia Waltz, a Hayes High School senior and Girl Scout, organized the camp to help over a dozen campers interested in theater overcome their doubt.

“We’re having a nice little poetry jam,” Waltz said Tuesday afternoon. “We’re going over the basics of theater; exposure to poetry; public speaking; and we dove a lot into our emotions. We had a nice unexpected twist today. We had campers who wanted to write their own poems, and it’s been fun to see their personalities shine through that.”

Waltz said she organized the camp as a project for her Girl Scout Gold Award, and she wanted students to learn that theater can be its own reward.

“This stemmed from my love of theater,” Waltz said. “My first experience in theater was a poetry jam, and we haven’t had one in the district in years. I thought it’d be fun to bring that back to life. It’s so fun. Being here and being with the kids is just so much fun. … I want them feeling more comfortable with themselves and the stage. I want to foster a love of theater and appreciation for the arts within these kids.”

During the camp, Waltz helped students read and write poetry with glee as they prepared to perform for all to see on stage at Willis, Wednesday afternoon at 3 p.m.

“(My favorite thing has been) getting to know the kids more,” Waltz said. “I knew a lot of them from past drama camps, but I really get to know them individually. I think (poetry) is what set me up for my love of theater. This is the foundation and building blocks of theater. I think learning this at this age will prepare them for that. A lot of them are going to (do theater at) Dempsey … this will prepare them.”

One of the campers was fifth grader Ivy Hanafin, who performed poetry Tuesday with a wide grin.

“I like that I can open myself up and learn how to talk more openly to more people,” Ivy said. “It helps express myself in so many different ways with different emotions. It’s really cool how poetry can have so many emotions when it’s just some writing on a page.”

Ivy said she she enjoyed that the creative nature of the camp allowed her to be more lively.

“(My favorite thing is) saying poems in front of each other because I can express myself and move and everything like I want to do without anybody else telling me, ‘do that,’” Ivy said.

Sixth grader Bella Price said expressing herself was the best part of the camp, to be precise.

“I enjoyed feeling the emotions and being able to pour my heart out,” Bella said. “(I was nervous) at first, but when I started doing it, I seemed more excited. My favorite part has been writing my own poem. … If you try poetry, it might be great.”

Fifth grader Annie Kumpf said writing and sharing poetry had her pumped.

“I’ve liked learning how to project yourself and how to stand on stage confident because I’m not usually that confident up on stage,” Annie said. “I usually write poems, but I don’t present them. I usually just read them to myself. It’s helping me become confident in myself.”

“Everything” is what Annie said she liked about the two-day affair and hoped it will return again in the future for more students to share.

“I can’t pinpoint one thing,” Annie said. “I like hearing other people’s poetry and how they feel. I really like Julia’s idea. It’s a very good idea. I definitely would do this again.”

Glenn Battishill can be reached at 740-413-0903.