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Student Voices Amplified During Clinton Out Loud

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The annual Clinton Out Loud event, which was held on April 2 at Clinton Middle School, continues to be a meaningful opportunity for students to experience the power of voice, storytelling and performance in authentic and engaging ways. This year’s focus centered on students’ own voices and their ability to express, create and connect through the written, spoken and performed word.

Throughout the day, students participated in an interactive presentation with Utica Improv, where they explored improvisation, poetry and performance. These sessions invited students to take risks, think creatively and build confidence as they crafted and shared their own work. In doing so, they were not just learning about performance – they were actively engaging in it, developing their ability to communicate ideas, collaborate with peers, and listen and respond to one another in real time.

Thanks to a partnership with the Kirkland Art Center, students also experienced a live performance by blues and Americana artist Joe Waters, whose storytelling through music offered a powerful example of how voice and artistry can convey emotion, history and perspective. This experience helped students see how music can be used to tell stories and express ideas in a powerful way.

Teachers created space for students to write, reflect and share poetry. These sessions reinforced an important message: their voice matters. Students were encouraged to develop their ideas and share them, building both skill and confidence in expressing who they are and what they think. Thank you to Ms. Hepburn for being a special guest to promote student writing!

The day culminated in a spoken word poetry café, where middle school students performed their original poetry for a live audience. It was a powerful celebration of student voice, creativity and courage, with so much talent on display.

Every three years, that talent is captured in a published student anthology of poetry – and this is one of those years. Clinton Middle School is excited to once again showcase the voices of its students in print. Stay tuned for more to come.

Throughout the day, students had the opportunity to create, perform and respond to different forms of artistic expression. Just as importantly, Clinton Out Loud continues to support broader goals around literacy, student engagement and building a strong sense of community. This is a day where students don’t just experience stories – they create them, perform them and start to see the power of their own voice.

A huge thank you to the ELA team – Mrs. Abel, Mrs. Ford, Mrs. Gaetano and Mrs. Sweetland – for making this day happen. Clinton Middle School is also grateful for the support of the PTA, CCS, BOCES and the KAC, as well as Mr. DeStefanis, teachers and the facilities team. Clinton Out Loud is truly a team effort, with so many people coming together to support Clinton Middle School students.

  • MIddle School
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