Welcome to Adams Poetry and Song 2024, produced by Adams Elementary School students and Jack Straw Cultural Center. This web page is the culmination of a project with Adams kindergarten and second grade students during the winter and spring of 2024.

First, Jack Straw musician Tekla Waterfield visited the kindergarten students at Adams and wrote and sang a special class song with them. The students sang the song together at a special family event.

Later, 2nd graders in Mr. DeFelice, Ms. Eldridge, and Ms. Larson’s classes worked with Jack Straw’s professional writer Vicky Edmonds to write their own poetry. Tekla then wrote a song inspired by each class’s poems.

In the spring, the 2nd grade students came to Jack Straw’s studios and recorded their songs with Tekla and engineers Daniel Guenther and Ayesha Ubayatilaka. The 2nd graders also performed the songs at the Adams talent show in March.

Tekla Waterfield and Mr. DeFelice’s Class: Keep Shining

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Tekla Waterfield and Ms. Eldridge and Ms. Larson’s Classes: Best You Can Do

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Adams Elementary Poetry & Song 2024 was produced by Adams Elementary School students and Jack Straw Cultural Center with the generous support of the Seattle Office of Arts and Culture and The Creative Advantage, The Washington State Arts Commission, and the National Endowment for the Arts.

The Jack Straw artist team included writer Vicky Edmonds, songwriter Tekla Waterfield, audio engineers Daniel Guenther and Ayesha Ubayatilaka, photographer Sherwin Eng, designer Levi Fuller, and Executive Director Joan Rabinowitz. Special thanks to the kindergartners and second graders of Adams Elementary and Adams staff.

We especially want to thank 2nd grade teachers Tom DeFelice, Calliope Eldridge, and Jennifer Larson; kindergarten teachers Andrea Alvarado and Cyndi Worthington; 1st grade teacher and Arts Coordinator Rory McAuley; and principal Douglas Sohn, who helped make this project possible.

Artists