A heartfelt thank you to the Freeman Arts Foundation for making it possible for our 10th–12th grade students at Mardela High School to experience an unforgettable day of inspiration and creativity. 

Students had the incredible opportunity to attend an assembly featuring The Twin Poets — Nnamdi Chukwuocha and Albert Mills, Delaware’s Poets Laureate and founders of Art For Life–Delaware. Through their powerful spoken word and heartfelt storytelling, the Twin Poets shared messages of hope, healing, and community, showing how poetry can be a tool for transformation and change. Their work brings creative writing and spoken word into schools, libraries, youth detention centers, and communities in need, addressing issues like gun violence and supporting veterans facing PTSD.

In addition to the assembly, students participated in a poetry workshop with the Twin Poets, where they wrote and shared their own poems. Many students shared work they had written at home, expressing thoughts and feelings they had never shared before. This workshop sparked a flame for students to find their voice through poetry and encouraged them to open up in new, meaningful ways.

The Twin Poets’ words and life lessons—goal setting, staying career-driven, and never giving up—resonated deeply with students, leaving a lasting impression and inspiring them to persevere and pursue their passions.

When asked about moments that stuck with them, students shared:
💬 “That we should bring ourselves up instead of pushing ourselves down.”
💬 “When other students started to read their own poems, it made me feel very inspired.”
💬 “That about when she was saying about her brother cause I lose my brother too and I feel how she feels.”
💬 “The part about the family that was extremely poor and missed school. While I've never lived in conditions that bad, I can relate somewhat with the problems faced in that poem, such as little clothes or little food.”
💬 “One thing that stayed with me was the part where we got to write our own poetry because it showed what we see the world as it is to our perspective.”
💬 “One idea that they mentioned was just seeing the bright side in every situation. And another one that really stuck to me was this society will wear you down till you break, and I have experienced this.”

This inspiring experience was held at Mardela High School, and Career Coach Amy Rhodes shared her excitement about being able to bring speakers like the Twin Poets to inspire our students and give them a platform to explore their voices.