Student Standouts: Cox-Garleanu ’26, Sock ’29, and Football Players
Congratulations to this week’s standouts below. Way to go #RamNation! And as always, if you have a story to share, please email weeklynews@micds.org.
Senior Combats Low Literacy Rates with her Pen Power Poetry Organization
Isabelle Cox-Garleanu ’26 is breaking down literacy barriers and connecting with St. Louis through her organization, Pen Power Poetry. Below, read an interview with Isabelle to learn about her love of poetry, her nonprofit and its impact, her workshops, and her achievements including receiving the St. Louis Youth Volunteer of the Year award last year.
Why do you love poetry?
I believe that my love for poetry stems from my multilingual background. Growing up with a Romanian father and a Japanese mother who imparted their native languages to me, I juggle French, Japanese, and English every day. English is ironically the language with which I felt the most unfamiliar for a long time. Throughout elementary school, I’d be pulled from classes to meet with a language specialist to study my third language, which, as an American, I felt I inherently ought to have known. I was constantly driven to wrangle my English into perfection while simultaneously maintaining fluency in French and Japanese, and from this dedication emerged one of my biggest passions: poetry. When I write poetry, I find joy in pushing against linguistic pressures by stretching, shaping, and molding language. Poetry, to me, is a playground of words where I don’t have to be concerned about linguistic rules — French is a gendered language with many conjugation rules, Japanese has three complex writing systems, and English has its own pressures, too. There are frankly no rules in poetry. Any structure that you might follow is of your own choice. I love this freedom, as it allows me to express my most authentic self.
What is Pen Power Poetry, the nonprofit that you founded?
Literacy, as the gateway to many opportunities in life, shapes one’s ability to navigate the world and participate fully in society. Upon moving to St. Louis, I came across a statistic that deeply disheartened me. In St. Louis Public Schools (SLPS), only about 19% of students tested at or above the proficient level for reading. These percentages were lower for Black students. Not only does this mean that a majority of SLPS students cannot enjoy reading and writing, they also face a tremendous barrier to learning and using their voices effectively.
Through conversing with government officials and other nonprofit leaders, I developed Pen Power Poetry, a nonprofit where I host poetry workshops at different schools (not limited to SLPS) and organizations across the St. Louis area to help boost literacy rates in a fun, creative way. Those who struggle with reading and writing are oftentimes overwhelmed by them. Poetry, with its playfulness, can bring joy to those who may not have yet discovered the magic of reading and writing. Thus far, I’ve workshopped poetry for over a thousand individuals in St. Louis and beyond, including kids, teenagers, and adults. I create all of my lesson plans and worksheets, incorporating the works of poets I have always admired, such as Nikki Giovanni, Gwendolyn Brooks, Langston Hughes, Maya Angelou, Louise Glück, and Joy Harjo.
However, the most important gift I can bring to my poetry students is not necessarily improving their literacy skills, but being there for them — as a friend, a good listener, a supportive and compassionate member of my community. Nothing brings me more joy during a workshop than when a student who previously detested reading and writing asks me for more prompts, when a shy individual finds the courage to read their own piece aloud, or when all of us erupt into cheering and snapping.
Pen Power Poetry has allowed me to connect with the St. Louis community in a very meaningful way. It is in pursuing my passion for poetry, in seeking to engage with this city purposefully by meeting its people and collaborating with them to advance social movements, that I fell in love with St. Louis. My poetry workshops across the entire St. Louis area have shown me that we are a community as diverse and multidimensional as poetry. Although I am only going into my fifth year here, I feel very proud and happy to call this city my hometown.
My Pen Power Poetry initiatives are not limited to poetry workshops. Pen Power Poetry has led me to present about education at international events hosted by the International Baccalaureate and HundrED, as well as state events, including a summit at the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education. I am grateful that Pen Power Poetry’s impact has been honored by the Missouri House of Representatives with a resolution. Last March, I was also humbled to receive the St. Louis Youth Volunteer of the Year award from ServeMO (AmeriCorps Missouri) at the Missouri Capitol.
In case you missed it, Isabelle was interviewed by FOX News in August. Watch the interview below where she passionately shares about Pen Power Poetry and her efforts to combat low literacy rates in St. Louis!
Way to go, Isabelle! We can’t wait to continue seeing the impact you’re making through Pen Power Poetry!
Freshman Rackets to Second Place at Class 2 State Tennis Singles Tournament
Congratulations to Ava Sock ’29, who finished second in the Class 2 State Tennis Singles Tournament! In a feature on West Newsmagazine, read about Ava’s exciting journey in tennis so far, her accomplishments as a freshman at the No. 1 spot on the Varsity Girls Tennis team, and about her anticipation of an exciting future on the MICDS Girls Tennis team. Bravo, Ava!
Four Football Players Make All-Metro First Team
A big congratulations to our four All-Metro Football players who were recently announced as First Team selections!
- Graham Faust ’26 – 1st Team Defensive Back
- Ben Petersen ’26 – 1st Team Defensive Line
- Miles Coleman ’26 – 1st Team Offensive Line
- Gabriel Weaver ’26 – 1st Team Tight End
