Poetry Slam

Posted on 11. Jan, 2010 by joannagreer in Arts and Entertainment

By Kristin Holmes

Kennedy hosted its first poetry slam on Friday, December 11. It was organized by Leadership Training Institute senior students Maria Truong, Mehran Hossaini, and Jordan Johnson. The poetry would not have happened without the dedication of Hossaini who came up with the idea. “I was extremely scared and nervous about it,” said Ms. Bolling, the LTI program director, but she overcame that and also performed.

Ms. Bolling goes to the mat at the slam

A diverse crowd of participants included teachers, students from other schools, as well as Kennedy alumni. Some of the unexpected teacher poets included Mr. Howard (English), Ms. Bolling (LTI), and Mr. Lara (Math).  “I really like the idea of having a poetry slam at Kennedy,” said Lazarus Harris, ’09. “I came back to say how appreciative I was of my high school experience and I wanted to share what high school taught me.”

Mr. Lara rocked the house at the poetry slam.

The topics were struggle, revolution, and change. The slam gave a people a chance to share their emotions, observations, and creativity in a syncopated, yet elevated way. There was a great attendance with the chorus room at near capacity.  LTI traditionally uses the entry money for charity.  No word on how much money was made at press time.