COLUMBUS – Writing poetry might be low on the list of hobbies for most seventh-graders, but not for Edwar Mendoza.

“All poems are beautiful,” said the Columbus Middle School student.

He mostly writes his poetry in Spanish, his native language. However, for the Mississippi Poetry Contest and others, he wrote in English and placed second in the state.

“It makes me very happy. I love to write. Many of my poems are about love, sadness or romance,” Mendoza said.

While poetry allows Mendoza to express his feelings, music is another passion that he has found. He plays the clarinet in the CMS band.

He also loves challenging himself.

“It is fun to conquer those obstacles (of learning music and writing poetry in English),” said Mendoza. “I’m doing something productive with my time and helping others.”

Karen Solorio is Mendoza’s English language teacher. In fact, she’s the ELL teacher for the entire school district. Twelve different nationalities are represented in Columbus Municipal School District.

“I love our students,” Solorio said. “They are just like the other students in the district. Our EL learners do have to work a bit harder as they adjust to the culture and to the academic requirements.”

As an alumna of CMSD, Solorio understands what it’s like to be an English language learner in the district. Solorio’s father was in the U.S. Air Force. Her family moved here when she was still in school.

“I know what it is like to not have any family around, maybe they are lonely,” Solorio said. “I understand learning about the culture and learning the different rules of the English language. While I can connect with our students on that level, I also let them know about the services we can provide.”

Solorio sees active learners each day who are bright and have bright futures. Students like Edwar know what it’s like to overcome obstacles, and those battles have brought him some early-life wisdom.

“I love this school and my teachers,” Mendoza said. “No matter how bad things happen in life, you can cry or get angry. You can bottle it up or let it all out. If you let it all out and fight back the bad things, it helps you remember the good times and how to enjoy them.”

CMS student May Saleh, also an EL learner, received a Honorable Mention in the eighth-grade category of the state poetry contest.