Edgar Allen Poe visited Riverhead Middle School on Friday, the first day of the Riverhead Poe Festival.
Sal St. George, the director of the Poe Festival, brought Poe to the middle school to talk with the students about some of his spooky tales, poetry and the mystique surrounding his life. Riverhead Middle School students study The Raven, Annabel Lee, The Tell-Tale Heart, The Cask of Amontillado as well as his life and death.
As St. George notes, “My mission is not so much to entertain as it is to educate. Plays and readings from authors in both the present and the past is a big part of the Poe Festival. Visiting Riverhead’s schools and introducing them to Edgar Allan Poe is just another way to educate kids.”
One of the most fascinating elements of Edgar Allan Poe is the mystique that surrounds his life and his death as well as his literary works. A visit from Poe himself brings this author to life for middle school students in a way that nothing else could do.
Poe encouraged the students to write. “Writing will help you work out the questions you have about your own life and the world around you.”
Poe visited students in English classes taught by Lori Falisi, Ryan Greene, Mindy Benze and Frank Minucci. He also made a stop in the Library during an art class and slipped into Martin Faint’s English as a New Language class.
Photos courtesy of Poe Festival and Riverhead Central School District
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