Tucked along the rocky shoreline of Lake Superior in Silver Bay, Minnesota, something quietly transformational happened. It did not arrive with fanfare or flashy headlines, but rather in the charged silence that follows when a teenager stands up and shares their truth.
For one week, students at William Kelley High School put aside the formal academic structure of the classroom and entered the free-flowing world of spoken word poetry. The residency, led by COMPAS Teaching Artist Kyle Tran Myhre, offered more than a writing lesson. It created space for students to discover their voices, share their stories, and listen deeply to each other.
The change was visible. The impact was lasting. And, as one student enthusiastically shared: “It didn’t really feel like school. I was excited to be there and found it more fun rather than a chore or homework.”
A Creative Spark in Greater Minnesota
Silver Bay is a small town in a part of the state that often gets overlooked when it comes to arts programming. Resources are limited. Distance from cultural hubs can create barriers. But students in Greater Minnesota deserve just as much access to creative, challenging, and emotionally meaningful learning experiences as anyone else.
This residency proved what is possible when we bring those opportunities directly to students. Talent lives everywhere. What makes the difference is access. And in Silver Bay, students showed up ready to think, write, and speak in ways that were personal, vulnerable, and brave.
The Artist Behind the Experience
Tran Myhre (aka Guante) is a poet and teaching artist. He has performed at the United Nations, contributed to a Grammy-winning album, been a member of two National Poetry Slam championship teams, and visited countless schools, conferences, and festivals, using spoken word and storytelling as doorways into dialogue and community-building..
“Spoken word is about building community and telling our stories,” Kyle says. “There is power in that. More power than just going up on stage and getting high scores from judges.”
In Silver Bay, Kyle brought that power to life.
Students Find Their Voices
The results speak for themselves. During the week they spent working with Guante, 90 percent of the students shared poems they had written. Some read just a few lines. Others performed full-length pieces. All of them took a creative risk. And many experienced what it feels like to be seen and heard. Like the results, their words speak for themselves.
“I loved spoken poetry week because it was fun designing my own stories and thinking more into my own mind about things I enjoy and finding a way to bring those thoughts into words.”
I enjoyed it because usually I am writing to meet someone else’s standards. I forget to use emotion in my regular writing. This allowed me to illustrate my emotions and ideas I feel strongly about.”
A Shift in the Classroom
The residency did not just impact individual students. It shifted the energy in the room. Students who often felt unsure or disconnected became more engaged. Many commented on how different it felt from the usual school routine.
“It was actually a creative unit where we got to come up with something entirely on our own.”
“It helped me understand poetry better. Just doing little things that you learned in school can go a long way.”
“The best part was being taught a new way.”
Students wrote more freely. They took ownership of their ideas. They experimented. They revised. They created.
They also met multiple Minnesota State English Standards, though they probably did not realize it. They explored narrative voice and literary techniques. They edited and refined their work. And they did it all in a way that was deeply personal and joyfully creative.
“I liked writing my finished product and using my web and all of the exercises and putting them to use. It was a fun process filled with several drafts that didn’t make it in the end, but I learned from my mistakes and made it flow better.”
Why We Keep Showing Up
What happened in Silver Bay is exactly why creative experiences must be made available to students in every corner of Minnesota. This residency reminded students that their voices matter. It gave them tools to process emotions, connect with their peers, and express themselves in new and powerful ways. It reminded us all that poetry is not just about form or rhyme. It is about truth. It is about courage. It is about creating something that helps you understand yourself and the world a little better.
Because every student deserves to be seen. Every student deserves to be heard.
And sometimes, all it takes is a notebook, a little time, and someone who says, “Go ahead. Start wherever you are.”
COMPAS is proud to continue making these moments possible, just as we have for more than 50 years, thanks to the generous support of our donors and community.
If you’d like to see this work continue, we warmly encourage you to make a gift today. Your generosity will go directly and immediately into Minnesota classrooms.
Learn more about Guante and how to bring him to your school, organization, community center, and anywhere else here.
Learn more about COMPAS, the rest of our teaching artist roster, and how we can bring creativity to your school, organization, business, community center, library, and ANYWHERE ELSE here.
Read more stories about our work to put creativity in the hands of millions of Minnesotans here.
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