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This spring, Independence alumna Zoe Symons ’21 returned to campus, not as a student, but as a teacher-in-training. Now a senior at Sanford, Zoe partnered with Independence for her two-week Senior Project, a hands-on program that allows students to explore a career path through shadowing and real-world experience.

Preparing to major in English at Dickinson College, Zoe was eager to reconnect with the school that first sparked her passion for language arts, especially through Ms. Fabian’s English classes and Ms. Biddle’s LEAPPS program.

Her project centered on blackout poetry, a creative technique where poets use existing texts — like books or newspapers — to reveal hidden poems by blacking out selected words. The form, which gained popularity in the early 2000s thanks to artist and writer Austin Kleon, encourages students to think critically and creatively about language, structure, and meaning.

To introduce the technique, Zoe led a lesson complete with a slideshow on the history of blackout poetry, shared her own example, then guided students as they created and, in some cases, read aloud their own poems. The lesson was part of a larger poetry unit and gave students a fresh way to engage with words and self-expression.

At the end of the two weeks, she presented her experience to Sanford’s senior class, faculty, and families, reflecting on the connections, creativity, and confidence she gained along the way.

As she moves on to college and potentially her own future classroom, Zoe carries Indy with her, proving that sometimes, a good story really does come full circle.