On Dec. 1, students were invited to attend the annual poetry jam workshop. This workshop provided students with an opportunity to develop their writing skills with guest speaker Xavier “Cool Kid” Grullon. Grullon is a poet himself and led discussions about ideas for good poetry.
“The group sessions were a great way for me to see other’s perspectives on things. Everyone sharing their experiences gave me a lot of inspiration for more poetry pieces to write.” said senior Scheraidy Santiago Sanfeliz.
After the group discussion with Gullon, students who signed up to compete with slam poetry began the competition section. In the competition, students went up in front of a panel of judges and performed their original slam poems.
“I think watching other people and how they presented their poetry really inspired me and motivated me to do my best in presenting my own poetry. I was so surprised when I found out that I scored 100 points on my poem out of the 105 possible points. There were so many talented poets at the jam, which made for a really great competition. I am very thankful I was able to take part in it,” said sophomore Jordyn Dees.
Dees’ winning poem was about people using their voice to spark change and stand up for what they believe in. In second place was Bella Cruz-O’Grady, a senior, who presented a piece about a driving experience she had on a seemingly normal day. The last runner-up was Marlee Wittner, sophomore, who performed a poem about words losing meaning. The slam poetry competition gives Dees an opportunity to compete at the district competition, while Wittner and Cruz-O’Grady will serve as judges.
“The poetry jam was a great experience because I got to work with others who love poetry and I was able to see how they write. It was really helpful to work together in groups and combine all of our strengths,” said Wittner.
Gretchen Strunk // Staff Writer
