Shawnee Mission School District students use their voice and express themselves in numerous ways - through art, athletics, innovation, exploration, and collaboration. This April, Read Across SMSD invites students to “Share Your Poetic Voice.”

Click here to see a video.

The featured elementary book, “The Book That Almost Rhymed” by Omar Abed gives us an example of young people sharing their voice and adding some unexpected rhymes, twists, and turns along the way.

With a focus on poetry, Shawnee Mission turned to some award-winning poets to share their work with the community. Hannah Clark, a junior at Shawnee Mission South High School, and Violet McCarthy, a fifth grader at Mill Creek Elementary School, are among the honorees in the 2025 Shawnee Mission Area Council PTA Citizenship Writing Program. Click here to learn more about the Citizenship Writing Program. Their poetry brings to life the theme “Small Things I Can Do to Impact My Community.”

Clark wrote about the impact of little actions and acts of service. “Small things to make people smile/Lift them up and feel worthwhile/A great way to leave an impact/Is to always be serving others.”

McCarthy wrote about the big impact of small actions. “What about holding the door for a stranger? What about helping your parents do laundry? What about making someone laugh?”

About Read Across SMSD

Read Across SMSD is modeled after the National Read Across America program and is led in partnership with NEA-Shawnee Mission and the Shawnee Mission Education Foundation. Access to books for Shawnee Mission students is made possible through the Foundation.

Click here for the Read Across SMSD webpage, featuring resources from previous years, archive videos, and more information about the program.

NEA Book List:

Elementary
The Book That Almost Rhymed
By Omar Abed
Click here to learn more.

Middle Grade
Poetry Comics
By Grant Snider
Click here to learn more.

Young Adult
How the Boogeyman Became a Poet
By Tony Keith, Jr.
Click here to learn more.