ANGOLA â You can celebrate National Poetry month all April long with various events and activities scheduled to take place in and around Angola.
Now in its 25th year, National Poetry Month was introduced in 1996 by the American Academy of Poets to increase awareness and appreciation of poetry throughout the United States.
In years past, celebrations in Angola have included a daily poetry reading on the Public Square in front of the Brokaw Movie House with storyteller, Trine University professor and columnist for this newspaper Lou Ann Homan.
This year, however, Homan said sheâs approaching poetry month another way.
âI am doing poetry month a little differently, but fun,â she said.
Students from across northern Indiana will be featured in a new television series that will premiere Saturday on WFWA TV-39.4.
The original series, known as TBH, or text-speak for To Be Honest, is shot, written, acted, reported, directed and edited by up-and-coming filmmakers and journalists ages 12-19.
To Be Honest Inc., is a nonprofit student film organization. Its goal is to increase and improve community understanding of social and cultural issues.
Supported in part by the Indiana Arts Commission, the project features students from Garrett High School, Hamilton Junior-Senior High School, Oak Farm Montessori School, Prairie Heights High School and the Cahoots Coffee Cafe after-school program in Angola.
This is the second installment in a three-part series
Abigail Adamson of Angola, a sophomore at Earlham College, Richmond, watched the recently released documentary The Social Dilemma on the last day of her introduction to social media class this fall. Our teacher would ask for our opinions, said Abigail, 20. She said discussion revolved around how social media changed students lifestyles, how it played into the presidential election and how it incorporated affect theory. Affect theory attempts to categorize humans emotions to predict how they will respond when triggered. We discussed how much misinformation gets spread so quickly, Abigail said.
Virtual universe
Todayâs teenagers represent the first generation to grow up with social media.
On the positive said, social media allows them to meet new people, learn new things, join social groups and follow their role models. But on the neagative side, teachers and youth leaders voice concern that some of the material youth encounter online is misleading and potentially detrimental.
Social media sites like Facebook, YouTube, Twitter and Skype were launched in the 2000s and followed by other platforms that became popular with teens. Snapchat, which allows users to send instant messages and photos that disappear after they are viewed, is the most popular teen site, according to Statista data. TikTok and Instagram are also heavily used by teenagers, according to statistics.
Must be the season of giving. Many organizations are awarding grants or receiving grants. Following is a roundup, beginning with the Foellinger Foundation, which gave more than $3 million for early childhood and family development in Allen County:
âThese organizations reflect the Foundationâs focus on supporting children and families in Allen County,â said Ed Kominowski, foundation president. âThe Foundationâs strategy is to support effective nonprofits emphasizing clients with the most economic need and the least opportunity. We are grateful to these nonprofit organizations that provide crucial services in our community. Their dedication helps improve the lives of area children and families.â