There’s nothing that can quite compare to the feeling you get when reading the perfect piece of literature. Whether it’s a compelling book or a heart-wrenching poem, works of literature inspire our senses.

Members of the SMCHS teen reading blog, The Blueprint, have been hard at work to ensure that high school students realize the importance of writing.

Since April is National Poetry Month, the bloggers decided to celebrate and and inspire by holding an online poetry contest for students to submit their own works and possibly win tickets to prom.

Senior Mary Mani, winner of the blackout poetry category, has been appreciating literature since the age of 5.

“Writing started as a stimulus for my imagination and then developed into a coping system,” Mani said. “Through middle school I loved the creative writing portion because I could get into other people’s minds and relate it to my own.”

The purpose of The Blueprint is to influence the younger generation through the discussion of books. Students are encouraged to read any book they want and share their opinions on it online.

“This blog is unique because it allows us to get our voices to the public while also blogging about books that we love to read,” said Nedda Bozorgmehri, junior Blueprint president said. “One of my recent posts was inspired by one of Mr. [Bryn] DuBois’ lectures and related a Dr. Seuss book to the Cold War.”

To start off the celebration of poetry month, the bloggers brought Banned Books Week to the SMCHS library. During this week, books with ideas that had been challenged in past decades were displayed around the library, including texts such as Catcher in the Rye, the Divergent series and the Harry Potter series.

The exhibition aimed to promote the fight against censorship and to celebrate everyone’s freedom in choosing what they want to read. It also strived to highlight the struggles these books faced to remain in public libraries and bookstores.

The bloggers then moved on to Teen Tech Week, which advocatesthe digital form of literacy among teens by encouraging them to use technology in a positive and productive way.

Maricar Laudato, Blueprint advisor and Library Assistant, hopes that as a result of this week, students will be able to find a creative outlet through both online and physical discussion.

“I think it’s sad that people have these negative perceptions of teens on the Internet, as if they only use it for inappropriate selfies or destructive things,” Laudato said. “The Internet can be used for a lot of progressive things such as blogging and connection.”

Laudato envisions The Blueprint as a training ground for students who will later move on to share their ideas through other outlets. She continues to send updates to those involved in the blog on outside writing opportunities and sometimes students give them a try.

Recently, teen bloggers freshman Sussanah Sherwood and sophomore Dessi Gomez decided to follow up on a tweet Laudato sent out and ended up writing for the online magazine of best-seller author Jennifer Niven.

“Kids need to discuss books because it is an essential part of their mental development,” Mani said. “Writing and discussing helps develop the logical side of the brain and then the creative side as well.Without [discussion], there is a gap in their understanding of social, environmental and societal interaction.”

April is the month to strengthen our appreciation for the use of language and the art of literature. Dig out that blank journal of yours and write down a few thoughts. Pull that book you’ve been meaning to read off of the shelf and settle down with it. If you’re feeling adventurous, create a domain for yourself and start posting on your own little cyberspace.

This is a month of expression and appreciation. Embrace it.