National Poetry Day and Staff Poetry  

Established in 1999, National Poetry Day falls on the first Thursday of October and each year Elgin Academy is an active participant. The purpose of it, of course, is to celebrate poetry; whether it be promoting your own or discovering new favourites. Each year brings a different theme, the one for this year being ‘Refuge.’  

Several activities take place in our school to commemorate the day such as competitions, open mic readings and a poetry picnic for younger classes. Different poems are hung on every classroom door, sure to spark some interest. Frequently, English teachers use the year’s theme to encourage students to write a piece of their own- which is fantastic way to prompt creativity without too much guidance. Nonetheless, the event that is always most looked forward to is the annual staff poetry competition. It is an exciting opportunity for teachers to show off any poetic inclinations; as well as a chance for students to see another side of the teachers they see every day.  

As a part of this year’s Advanced Higher English class, I had the opportunity to see all the wonderful entries and help pick out this year’s winners. They were submitted anonymously to avoid any bias and allow us to focus on the subject matter without prejudice. It was, unsurprisingly, an exceedingly difficult choice, as all contestants approached the theme in different but equally intriguing ways. All judges had their favourites but agreed upon two that stood out strongly overall.  

The competition runner up was “By Rolling Farm We Wandered” which turned out to be written by Team Times’ very own, Mr Pellegrom. It is a beautifully crafted poem, very lyrical and rich in imagery. It made all of us feel as if we were right there, wandering the moors and making our way to the Isle of Skye. Well done! 

The winning poem this year was “Tinnitus,” written by none other than the geography department’s Mr McWhirter. An eloquent, intellectual piece that we had to read at least a few times before deciding to mark it as the winner. There is much to pick apart in this one. The unusual and more sombre way of approaching the theme of refuge and the visceral metaphors are only some of the things we found especially striking. It comes as no surprise that this is not Mr McWhirter’s first time on the podium!  

My personal favourite refuge-themed poem this year was PJ Harvey’s “I Inside The Old I Dying” which, in her own words, describes how refuge can be found in the transition from childhood to adulthood and from life to the afterlife. There is something eerily ancient and distinctly English about it that shows just how expansive of a theme it can be.  

More about National Poetry Day in EA (as well as other similar events) and how we celebrated it throughout the years can be found in the ‘Library’ section of the school website.