Photo: Bourne Public Schools
BOURNE (WBZNewsRadio) - A group of nearly 70 students came together for the 2nd annual Poetry Slam at Bourne High School's Library this week.
"Poetry is a powerful tool for self-expression and magnifying the voice of our students," Bourne Superintendent Kerri Anne Quinlan-Zhou said.
Students from Bourne High School, Bourne Middle School, Falmouth High School, Martha's Vineyard Regional High School, Westborough High School and Dartmouth Middle School all filed into the Library to take part in a workshop, led by Chicago slam poet Mojdeh Stoakley and public interest lawyer Eric "Rota" Sirota.
After the workshop, students were encouraged to take part in a slam poetry contest.
"The workshop taught students how to put elements of their identify into prose and how one's outward expression can convey a plethora of information," Library Media Specialist John LeRoy said. "The workshop helped students not only prepare for the poetry slam but channel their feelings in a productive and artistic way."
Of the 67 students participating, 31 chose to compete.
The top six finalists were;
- Keaghan Johnson, Bourne Middle School, Grade Eight
- Sydney Emerson, Martha's Vineyard Regional High School, Grade 11
- Claire Koosa, Bourne High School, Grade 10
- Elise Dean, Bourne High School, Grade 10
- Jayden Halstead, Bourne High School, Grade 11
- Shea Reilly, Bourne Middle School, Grade Seven
10th Grader, Elise Dean was crowed the Grand Champion of the poetry slam. In the first round, she read a poem called "This Poem Doesn't Have a Title." The work was about how her self-identify is determined by her mind and not her physical appearance.
In her second reading, she read a micro-poem titled "Star," in which she compared herself to a star in outer space "burning brightly in isolation."
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