by Erik Espinoza // Guest Writer
Over 15 students participated in this year’s 2nd Annual Walk-up and Express Yourself Poetry Slam competition to celebrate National Poetry Month. This event was sponsored by the Social Justice Book Club on April 19 and 20 and concluded on April 27 in the Carson Complex Library where contestants read aloud their original poetry in front of an audience and in front of a panel of judges to compete for the grand prize.
Carson High School Librarian and Social Justice Book Club adviser Mrs. Bollinger stated, “I started this competition because I had students who asked if there is an open form for them to express whatever is on their mind, whether it’s home life, school, or relationships, they felt like they needed an open safe spot for them. I thought it was a great idea so I put the event together which happens to be in April and also falls in line with National Poetry Month.”
National Poetry Month is the largest literary celebration in the world which is celebrated by tens of millions of readers, students, K-12 teachers, librarians, booksellers, publishers, bloggers, and, of course, poets marking poetry’s important place in today’s society.
Carson High teachers: Sr. Deur, Mrs. Kadota, Mrs. Seyhun, and Mrs. Schaefer all served on the panel and had to narrow it down to the four finalists: Damani Berry, Angelica Tan, Ritchie Castro, and Sabina Castillo. These four judges scored the contestants’ poems based on the quality of the writing, the quality of the performance, and the content of their work.
Carson High Spanish Teacher Sr. Deur said, “It’s cool to see people open up to that creativity and that everyone is there to enjoy it. I think it’s really cool because for Carson, it’s something that we really need. We need the ability to perform more and get used to being in front of crowds and develop their presence and their ability to interact, speak, and perform publicly.”
The judges narrowed it down and picked the final winner, CHS sophomore Damani Barry. Damani Barry said with excitement, “since I was young poetry has been like a big part of my life, my dad was a poet and I always felt like I can do it, but one thing that I’ve learned from my parents is that you can say you can do anything until you actually do it, but now that I’ve won I feel like I can do anything.”
One of the four remaining finalists, CHS junior Ritchie Castro stated, “Overall I love how the students gained the experience competing in an event like this and love how they were confident enough to express themselves regardless of who they are presenting to. After competing I felt like a weight was lifted off my chest because I got the opportunity to express myself.”
The final four contestants were all rewarded with gift cards. The winner received the grand prize of a $50 Office Depot gift card. However, no contestants were left empty handed. All 15 participants involved were rewarded with certificates and everyone, including the audience, had a chance to receive prizes as well.