Editor’s Note: The headline of this article has been updated to reflect the fact that the Bearns competition has not officially ended but rather that its format is being restructured. The text has also been updated to read “the reimagining of Bearns” rather than “the ending of Bearns.”

2022 will mark the first year that the Upper and Middle School Bearns competition will not occur at Poly. Bearns is a longstanding tradition that consists of students creating or reciting poetry. Last year, due to COVID, this ritual had to go virtual. 

Peter Nowakowski, head of the English department, said, “We have completely changed its structure; we are not doing an Upper School Bearns this year, since Bearns followed closely on the heels of shutting down due to COVID. However, we held The Festival of Student Voices. We asked a number of student poets to recite or read their own poetry in an assembly.” 

This year, although Bearns did not occur in the Upper School, on April 18, the Middle School participated in The Festival of Student Voices. The event featured student work from English courses in which “students have created original works of art, ranging from monologues to poetry to play scene,” as stated during the presentation. 

One justification for the reimagining of Bearns is that it has become somewhat outdated for some time now. “I have been at Poly since 5th grade and was starting to find Bearns as outdated. It just seemed like an assignment to memorize a poem without any other aspect behind it. I recall being in [Laura] Caldwell’s 5th grade English class and trembling as I went up to recite my four stanza poem,” said Zoe Campbell ’25.

Nowakowski agreed with this perspective. “It is slightly outdated. We should know the history of recitation is from colonial education…They were asking kids to sound British rather than to be themselves. We always want Poly students to be themselves.”

Eighth-grader Lila Daniels has participated in Bearns throughout part of her middle school career at Poly. She said, “In the past, participating in Bearns virtually was significantly less worrisome than in-person, and standing in a classroom in front of other students can be nerve-wracking. Although, I do find the competition a unique and fun experience and something that is not typically done throughout the year.”

In recent months, the student body and faculty have been adapting despite all of the changes within our community. “The 5th graders will work with a playwright and write their scenes and perform their speeches from plays during The Festival of Student Voices,” said Nowakowski.               

Although Bearns won’t be happening this year, that doesn’t mean it’s the final closure. “We are not going to have it this year until I can re-figure out how to make it more about celebrating student reading and student writing rather than reciting other people’s work,” said Nowakowski. “I would like students to take away that they are writers and poets themselves and that their writing and poetry matter and have stories to tell.”