Creative Students Pop to New Heights in Troup County
A club in Communities in Schools (CIS) Georgia of Troup County sites is empowering students through art, writing and mindfulness. Funded through a Project Safe Neighborhood grant and offered at four schools in the system, the Troup County POPS club started in 2018. Executive Director Tabitha Lewis-Coverson took a new approach. “POPS was designed for high schoolers, but we piloted a middle school program which is yielding positive results. We’ve seen improvements in academics and behavior, and interest in the POPS Club is growing.”
POPS gives us a chance to change the narrative, to build relationships and teach life skills. —Nick Griffin, CIS Site Coordinator, Callaway Middle School
A kaleidoscope of personalities makes up the Callaway Middle School POPS club…kids who like R&B, hip hop, video games, team sports, reading, and singing. But they also share another bond, one that often brings a stigma and pain. POPS is a place where students who have an incarcerated loved one can safely express a range of emotions – sadness, confusion, anger, isolation, anticipation and hope. One club member explains, “POPS is a place where I can share my feelings. It helps me know my worth and gives me confidence.”
Communities in Schools Model of Support
POPS is part of the CIS model of support services aimed at helping students find success in and out of school. CIS Site Coordinator Nick Griffin celebrates the 20 students who gather weekly – virtually for now – to support each other. “Incarceration affects everyone. Talking about this with middle schoolers is something most people don’t think about doing, but these kids have opened up and grown so much. I’m proud of the leaders they have become.”
There is small group time, mentoring and time for journaling, poetry, story writing, and drawing. This gives students a way to process feelings, share experiences, and embrace the dream of carving a better path forward. While these young minds journey through somber adult themes like the dangers of prison and death row, they are determined to plot a better future. One student has an aspirational quote board above her desk with “God First”, “Stay Strong” and “It Will Get Better.” Another student writes: “You can stay out of trouble by getting a mentor…get a job, go to the library and read because when you are doing this you’re never in trouble ‘cause you’re active and have things to do.”
Callaway Student Work Chosen for National Publication
Works from six Callaway Middle School students were selected for “Dreamcatchers”, the 7th anthology published by the national POPS organization. Featuring entries from students in Los Angeles, New York City, Harrisburg, Atlanta and Lagrange, the collection fosters a type of healing – an outlet for honest, often heartbreaking, feelings about the impacts of incarceration.
POPS is a place where I can share my feelings. It helps me know my worth and gives me confidence. —Jaylynn, Callaway Middle School student
Callaway students were surprised by the attention they received as newly published authors and artists. One shares, “It gave me a positive vibe to be chosen and be interviewed by the local newspaper – and my dad was really proud.” Another acknowledges the healing power that the anthology holds, “I hope that my story helps other kids know we have the same struggles. We can learn from each other and we can overcome”.
“POPS gives us a chance to change the narrative, to build relationships and teach life skills,” says Coach Griffin, as Nick is fondly known to the students. And never underestimate the power of the POPS anthology which gives young voices a national platform…a place where they can step of out the shadows and into the warmth of acceptance. As one student whose artwork was chosen for “Dreamcatchers” noted, “You just never know where this will take you.”
For more on POPS, visit popstheclub.org.