Approximately 30 7th and 8th grade “Page One” participants met with Bishop Conley at the Newman Center in Lincoln, on Saturday, February 9th to discuss a collection of ten poems selected by Bishop Conley. Page One is an extracurricular activity that provides students with rich literature, invigorating activities and an environment that encourages reading for enjoyment. Students were asked to become acquainted with a list of poems, and challenged to memorize four of them to recite them for the Bishop. He discussed how poetry came into his life while he was at the University of Kansas. Guest speaker, Diane Coene, showed the students how she memorizes poetry using gestures and sign language, and spoke of the impact of poetry on her life as a teacher in California. Ms. Coene was a classmate of Bishop Conley’s at the University of Kansas. They shared how poetry invigorates the five senses and how different it is to interpret poetry compared to reading a book. Grace Raun, one of the directors of the diocesan Page One program, ran the event and shared her excitement for poetry as well through some fun activities. The students were also shown a picture of the Bishop from his college days. He fondly reflected on his degree, how he converted to Catholicism, and then answered his call to the priesthood.
