Poems celebrate Unalaska's differences

Published on February 25th, 2010

By DUTCH HARBOR FISHERMAN STAFF

English teacher Amy Purevsuren recently challenged the seventh- through ninth-grade students in her writing workshop to compose poems on the topic of diversity.

"We live in a community that is incredibly diverse," Purevsuren said. "We have Native Alaskans, Asians, South Americans, Europeans. We just have so many different ethnic backgrounds and histories that all come together. I think it's important for the kids to take time and reflect on that, and what it means to them personally."

Many of her students chose the optional assignment, and a few submitted them to the Unalaska City School 2010 Cultural Diversity Poetry Contest.

"A goal for next year would be to get more kids to submit," she said. "A lot of them worked on poems, but didn't feel a though they were ready."

Congratulations to these winners of the Unalaska City School District's 2010 Cultural Diversity Poetry Contest.

Our Many Colors

Jessica Andersen,

First Place

 

When fall comes here in Dutch,

The hills turn yellow and red.

It is a colored wonderland,

Of Unalaska's bed.

 

We look at one little hillside,

And see the whole world round,

With all of the different plants,

As a single harmony, sound.

 

I moved to a town down low,

In the dreaded forty-eight,

Where everyone pick favorites,

And always keep them straight.

 

Daisies are fine,

But never brown lilies,

You laugh at the cosmos,

The color's too silly.

 

You never have a purple rose,

With a wonder soon to bloom,

Never more than one they say,

And that's what spells their doom.

 

They cannot seem to see,

Where the truthful beauty lies,

In all the different colors,

Under all our precious skies.

 

But here we see the flowers,

Walking down our street,

For here's a land of colors,

The land where nations meet.

We Will Be One Someday

Virginia Mountain,

tied for second place

I look at this school upon me

and I see a cultural diversity.

What I see is a crowd of people

with a variety of different personalities.

 

Everyone here blends in their own way.

We inspire each other with our cultures.

All of us mix into this great community.

We are not fully there yet, as one.

 

But we can be one with respect.

We all don't have to like each other.

But we do have to accept each other.

We will all do our part as one world.

The Rainbow of Diversity

Maren Sunderland,

tied for second place

 

The pretty rainbow,

All of its different colors,

Spreads over us.

 

All of its different colors,

Unique in their own way

And so dazzling.

 

Unique in their own way,

Why must they fade into nothing?

Why must they dissipate?

 

Why must they fade into nothing?

They are imperfectly perfect,

Because nothing else is wrong.

 

They are imperfectly perfect

Every flaw a small blemish,

Why else would they gather hate?

 

Every flaw a small blemish,

Don't you think?

Why hate all of the pretty colors?

  

Don't you think

The pretty rainbow of diversity

Is worth looking at?

 

The pretty rainbow of diversity,

Shining all of its different hues,

But is slowly blending together.

Shining all of its different hues

The rainbow starts to disappear

Until nothing is left.

 

The rainbow starts to disappear,

The pretty rainbow

Can't handle all of the hatred.

 

The pretty rainbow

All of it's different colors,

Spreads over us.

Cultural diversity: The Good

Charity Haskins, tied for third place

 

Unalaska is very cool,

Different people walking around school

From all different places far and wide,

Sometimes they just need a guide.

 

With all different people from all different place,

We always see many different faces.

Most of them from interesting backgrounds

When I walk down the street I see people all around.

 

They smile and say "Hello" in their own dialect,

I look around and try to collect

Each little voice that can be happy and sad,

Some have even left their dad.

 

I try to understand each and every day

Why some do things each and every way,

I have found out that it is what they think

They try not to live their life in one little blink

 

They try to make it full and bright

They want their life to be not just all right

Especially me

I just want to be me!

 

So look at your town

And don't frown

Because someone is different

Have contentment

Colors of the World

Savannah Saenz, tied for third place

Red, yellow, black, white, and brown,

All different colors on one color wheel,

So should we choose to love one more than the others?

Caucasian, Asian, Native, Hispanic, or African American;

All different people in one big world.

Why are we treated so differently?

Why did the black have to move to the back?

Because the white told it to

Hispanics have to sneak in to our country

To get a better life, but do they?

We are all the same thing on the inside,

Just different colors on the outside.

Natives were drawn from their land,

And Asians lived in internment camps

How horrid can people be?

So many emotions trapped

In one world with many

Colors.

So why treat one of us better than the others?

All the emotions belong to all these people

All colors have their rights.