We Are From: Reflections on Identity and Belonging

Many Voices. Many Stories. One Community.

Welcome

This year, our K–12 students engaged in an exploration of identity and belonging through poetry. Students reflected on the people, places, traditions, experiences, values, and dreams that shape who they are and where they come from.

Each student created an individual poem inspired by George Ella Lyon's poem "Where I'm From." These poems were then woven together into cumulative class poems that captured every student's voice. The project culminated in a K–12 community poem featuring voices from all grade levels, creating a collective portrait of our school community.

We invite you to explore these reflections and celebrate the many voices, stories, and experiences that make our community unique. Together, they reveal both the individuality of each student and the shared connections that bind us as a community.

Click the buttons at the bottom of this page, or use the drop-down menu in the upper-right corner, to explore each grade level's poem.

Featured Poem

K–12 Community Poem

A collective reflection on identity and belonging featuring the voices of all grade levels.

We are from “I love you,”
from “Never give up,”
from “Be who you are,”
from “Believe in yourself,”
and “You are destined for great things.”

We are from rice and beans, pocket breads and empanadas,
from biryani, falafel, challah, tacos, sushi, and plátanos,
from Grandma’s crepes, Dad’s pasta, Nana’s brookies,
and kitchens full of laughter and stories.

We are from tomato and strawberry plants,
from great-grandmother’s front porch marigolds,
from Jamaican pepper plants
from our dad’s garden,
from towering backyard and park trees,
whose branches we climbed through childhood.

We are from beaches and playgrounds,
from shells in the sand and waves that knock us down
and teach us to rise again.
We are from sunny afternoons by the ocean,
from diving boards, roller coasters, and endless possibilities.

We are from libraries and books under the covers,
from poems and songs, cartoons, video games, and coding,
from watercolors in drawers,
from ideas spoken and voices heard.

We are from soccer fields and basketball courts,
from gymnastics mats and volleyball games,
from coaches calling, “One more set,”
from first baskets, game-winning shots,
and moments that made us proud.

We are from Hoboken and Jersey City,
from Puerto Rico, India, Algeria, Israel, Honduras,
the Dominican Republic, Colombia, Egypt, Serbia, Hong Kong,
the Philippines, Brazil, Portugal, Belarus, Guatemala, England,
and places all around the world
that are home.

We are from the plane our parents took
to come to America,
risking their own lives
to hope for a better life for us.

We are from Shabbos candles and Holi colors,
from Ramadan and Inshallah,
from Ohev otcha and Te amo,
from Chazak, Que Dios te bendiga, mi niña,
and traditions passed from one generation to the next.

We are from siblings and best friends,
from buddy classes and family gatherings,
from roughhousing, board games, birthday parties,
from laughing until we can't breathe,
and moments when everyone is together.

We are from the New York City skyline
and the Hudson River outside our windows,
from one square mile filled with memories,
from brownstones, parks, courts, playgrounds, and classrooms.

We are from crowded, loving homes,
from family photos on the walls,
from lullabies sung at bedtime,
from remembering those we loved,
from hugs and kisses, encouragement and care,
from parents, grandparents, teachers, coaches,
and all the people who helped us grow.

We are from kindergarten wonder
and senior year reflection,
from learning, changing, dreaming, and becoming.

We are from the stories,
the food,
the faith,
the laughter,
the friendships,
the challenges,
the memories.

We are from all of this.

And wherever we go,
we carry where we're from.