Yamfest’s Very Best

By Alex Marshall, Reporter

Many see winter as the holiday season, but a certain teacher at Susquehannock has a different idea.

English Teacher Kate Wilt knows this time of year to be yam season, and every year there’s a Yamfest to go with it.

Every student has to present a yam-related project, whether that be food, performances or art.

The AP 12 Literature curriculum reads the book Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe, which is about an African tribe in Nigeria whose main crop is yams.

2 yam projects from years past.

Wilt obviously loves every project, but only the best of the best are kept and shown off to future AP Literature students.

Wilt has a couple things she looks for when awarding the greatest projects.

“I really look for the creativity that goes into it. Somebody who thinks about the story but also thinks about how they can apply it to what we find entertaining nowadays; movies or skits or song usually have the impact we’re all entertained by,” said Wilt.

Wilt never fails to be shocked every year by the true effort students put into their work.

“Sometimes they really go above and beyond. Typically, they’re showcasing one of their skills, something they’re really interested in,” said Wilt.

When reminiscing over her favorite projects submitted over they years, she had a couple that came to mind.

“One time I really had an interpretive dance. It was quite memorable because it was my one and only interpretive dance. Another one was a movie adaptation. They took popular movies, and instead of having it based off of something else, they made it based off of yams. It was pretty hilarious and very well done. That group had someone who was really into movie editing, so it was really spectacular,” said Wilt.

2 paintings submitted for Yamfest in the past.

Decorated around her room are the rest of her favorite projects, including famous paintings redone with yams, a crocheted yam and a giant painted ceiling tile plastered with yams that hangs proudly in her ceiling.

“The American Yam” submitted by Clayton Leasure.

2016’s round of Yamfest projects has not been released yet, but Wilt and all of her 12AP students are eager to bask in the yam-ness.