A verse in the Emily Dickinson poem “‘Hope’ is the thing with feathers” inspired Jessica Nadeau, art teacher at Boothbay Region Elementary School, to make “Hope Birds” out of clay with her fourth grade students.

The birds symbolize the hopes, dreams and aspirations of the students making them. Using letters from an old newspaper printing press, the students spelled out some of their personal hopes on the birds.

“The students got a bit frustrated using the letters,” Nadeau said. “They could be hard to find, even when they were in order. I told them how they used to be used for newspapers where everything had to be lined up just so.”

Some of the words are broad ideas, such as “peace,” “hope,” and “love.”

Others are more specific, such as the one that reads “Broadway” by a student who aspires to act there someday. Still another reads “ninja warrior” which needs no explanation.

The birds have multiple holes so the students can use wire, pipe cleaners, feathers and other materials to decorate them when they have fired. They are fired twice. The first fire is to harden them, then the birds are glazed with color before being fired again.

The birds will probably be ready the first week of December, and will be hung somewhere in town to spread the student's message of hope to all who see them.