Junior Finley F. put her creative talents to work during this year’s January Short Term (JST) to create her own original illustrated book of poetry, titled Panoply. (The word “panoply” refers to a collection or assortment of different things.)

“I wanted to do an illustrated book of poetry because I love art, and sometimes I write poetry for fun. I wanted a way to share that with people,” said Finley. “I was inspired by books that I read as a kid, like Where the Sidewalk Ends by Shel Silverstein. Art and poetry are the two ways that I express myself, so I thought it’d be cool to put that all together to share for JST.”

Panoply began with a few pre-existing pieces of art and poetry from Finley’s Notes app and sketchbook and grew into its complete form over the three weeks of JST as she was able to devote full attention to her creative efforts. The process for each pairing usually started with the poem and finished with an accompanying drawing, but sometimes this process happened vice versa. Finley divided her working time between home and at her mom’s office in downtown Chicago, which provided a fresh creative environment and a welcome change in scenery.

Finley acknowledged how her classes in Roycemore’s Upper School set her up with the tools to create her book. “A lot of my poetry that I had before, I'd done in English class. We always get time once a week to do poetry or creative writing, which I really enjoy. I even used one of the pieces I did in AP Art in my book. I've had time to grow my skills through that class this year, and my art skills have improved so drastically with Ms. Hecht’s guidance and mentorship. So I've been able to connect what I’ve been learning in English and in art class together.”

It was in AP Drawing with Ms. Hecht this year that Finley discovered colored pencil as a new favorite medium, which she used to create a lot of the artwork in her book. “I'm very proud of all the work in my AP Art portfolio so far. It's been really fun to express my feelings through art, grow my skills, and create finished pieces I can show people,” she said.

This was Finley’s first year taking on an independent project, having completed group projects in her previous two years of JST. During ninth grade, her group embarked on a cultural exploration through food. Last year, her group did its project on food injustice and food service, learning about how food is a tool for justice and volunteering at food pantries.

The pivot to an independent project was exciting for Finley but also came with its challenges. Finley noted that the increased independence made it more critical to structure her three weeks effectively in order to keep her project on track. There was also a learning curve as she taught herself to use Canva to compile the book. And when the hard copy that she ordered from a printer didn’t arrive in time for the JST Expo, she had to improvise with her own printed version. Despite these challenges, Panoply came together in the end and Finley presented her art and poetry throughout the night of the Expo to intimate crowds of guests.

“JST was a good experience. It’s nice to be able to physically look at your work. It’s fun to see everybody’s reactions and hear their favorite poems from the book,” said Finley. “It’s scary because it’s kind of like reading my diary. It's personal stuff, but I tried to keep some of it lighthearted.”

In addition to creating much of the beautiful artwork that decorates the school hallways, Finley is an involved member of the Student Government at Roycemore and gets to help plan events, her favorite of which are the Upper School dances. As a junior, Finley is already considering her path after Roycemore and flags art history as a potential area of study in college.

Check out some pages from Finley’s book below. Panoply is available now on Amazon!

Congratulations to Finley for being one of three recipients of the second annual JST Awards! The JST Awards recognize Upper Schoolers who have done outstanding work on their JST projects with a $1000 tuition credit.