Stackpole Students to Hold Poetry Reading at Starbucks

On Thursday, April 28th, Stephanie Badulak and her fourth grade class will descend upon the Southampton Starbucks to host their annual poetry reading.  

April is National Poetry Month after all and Badulak feels the event is the perfect way to honor it – as well as celebrate all the things the class has learned about poetry over the course of the year. 

“The kids have written several poems throughout the year,” said Badulak.  “We did limericks, haikus, and something I call simile poems.  We learn about rhyme, rhythm, and all those things.”

Each student that participates in the event will be reading two poems – one written by themselves and another by a favorite, published poet.  It’s a great way for a ten-year-old to dip his or her feet into the daunting world of public speaking.

“It’s a good experience,” said Badulak.  “A good opportunity for public speaking – something that terrifies a lot of adults, let alone a ten-year-old.”               

Although all of Badulak’s students are required to participate in the “dress rehearsal” (which is held at ), participating in the actual event is entirely voluntary.

“A lot of the students genuinely want to go to it and be a part of it,” said Badulak.  “Sometimes a parent will push their kid to do it and the kid will end up having a lot of fun.  Something that's done off the school property - kids tend to get pretty excited about it.”

Badulak says the event lasts roughly an hour, from 4 to 5 PM although it has gone a little longer in the past. 

“Sometimes they can sneak it in before they have to go to baseball practice,” she said.

The reading has proven to be pretty popular over the years.  Badulak says the crowd is usually somewhere in the neighborhood of forty people.  Parents, grandparents, and siblings are often in attendance to support their young poets. 

Badulak says that many times, even unsuspecting customers will pop into Starbucks for a cup of coffee and end up sticking through the whole reading.

“It's interesting because there will be people who are randomly there and they'll stay there and applaud the kids - it's really cool,” she said.

The on Second Street Pike has hosted the event since they opened.  Before that, Badulak held the reading at the Barnes and Noble at Willow Grove.  Badulak says that holding the reading within Southampton has made it much easier for people to attend.   

“They’ve been really good sports about it,” Badulak said of Starbucks.  “It makes some extra work for them, but I think they really do enjoy having it.”   

Badulak's forth grade class will hold their poetry reading at the beginning at 4 p.m.,  Thursday, April 28.