During ACT Feb. 13, fourteen Los Altos High School freshmen performed spoken poetry in the Eagle Theater in the 13th annual Freshman Poetry Battle.
The performance is organized by Survey Composition & Literature teachers Lisa Battle and Jennifer Eneriz and hosted by fellow teacher Jonathan Kwan. The event follows the Survey poetry unit, in which students perform original poems to their classmates as a part of their final exam.
Each Survey teacher can nominate one to two students out of their pool of students, and students are judged in the contest by three judges: English teacher Carrie Abel Shaffer, sophomore Ishika Anand and senior Caila Kim.
Caila Kim, a 2023 winner of the freshmen slam herself, said she liked how the slam preserves the art of performance and poetry and instills a love for the craft in high schoolers.
“Poetry [is] so important,” Kim said. “It’s so vital that it stays alive, especially for freshmen. … It’s really important that they show to their peers that it’s okay to be vulnerable and to share their voice.”
Emma Guillory placed first in the slam, with Phuong Le and Heidi Wang taking second and third respectively. Guillory reflected on the experience, saying that while she felt nervous performing, she felt the topic of her poem — racial inequality in America — was essential to share with her audience.
“No matter the number of people within the crowd, what is most important is the message I get across,” Guillory said.
Guillory said the preparation for and participation in the competition gave her a newfound sense of faith in her writing and the impact she could have on her audience. Her main goal was to use her poem to stimulate empathy surrounding her topic and inspire change.
“This poetry slam, along with other events like this, has reminded me that writing, no matter what tries to replace it, is still an unbreakable form of expression that connects people together,” Guillory said. “I think it’s something that is so essential, especially right now, and is something I hope the world will continue to always cherish.”
