When thinking of the connection between high school and college, some envision applications and shuddering at SATs.
But at the University, there is a connection with high school students that doesn't induce sweating over resumes and anxiously checking the mail.
The connection is poetry.
In 1989, the University's Interactive Communications and Simulations program founded the International Poetry Guild. The guild was designed to form a worldwide community of writers.
"We want to give the message to poets that their work and struggle to create work has validity," said IPG Director Jeffrey Stanzler.
Ten high schools participate in IPG. Students use computers to post their poetry on online journals or to send poems via e-mail to their mentors, who are University students majoring in education or English. The mentors send comments back after reviewing the work.
For students who speak a second language, IPG has established a French Poetry Guild and is working on forming a Spanish Poetry Guild.
Berit Pavloff, an IPG adviser from Avondale High School in Avondale, Mich., involves her creative writing classes with IPG.
"The program is superb," Pavloff said.
Pavloff said students get excited about the IPG Young Poets' Conference. The daylong conference includes workshops and poetry readings, as well as the chance for students to meet their mentors in person.
But some say there is a drawback to the program.
"The e-mail system is successful, but the mentors become overwhelmed at the ease of communication," Pavloff said. "The system is just too fast."
Pavloff said the Internet, which allows instant distribution of work, causes students to become careless and not as concerned with editing. The onslaught of poetry not only desensitizes the poets, but overwhelms the mentors.
Stanzler agreed. "It's frustrating when you can't get or give enough feedback," he said.
Angela Delarmante, a former high school participant in IPG, will be a mentor this year. She drew a distinction between IPG and the classroom.
"One of the things I like the most about the IPG was that it didn't feel like a classroom, where, oftentimes, there are a lot of boundaries," she said.