May 11, 2025
By Caitlin Correia
Staff Writer
In celebration of National Poetry Month and the start of spring break, 30 student poets gathered in the media center on April 18 for the 23rd Annual Spring Poetry Slam.
At the end of the event, social studies teacher Mr. Ricciardi, who was one of four faculty members on the judging panel, announced the winners. Sophomore Lila Pearce-Jaryno placed first, followed by junior Natalia Hernandez, sophomore Mariam Selim and junior Zahara Chowdhury, who took home the top four awards, respectively. Honorable mention awards went to senior Drew Bancroft, sophomore Matthew Flores, senior Jason Oliveira and sophomore Joey Romeo.
Pearce-Jaryno, who has participated in the Winter and Spring Poetry Slams for the past two years, said her poem, “unsalted,” was about her grandfather and the feelings of loss associated with his death.
“There’s never a dull moment in the poetry slam, and [the poems] are always very expressive.”
“You’ve got to appreciate the people you have now [because] you’ll never really know when they’ll be gone,” Pearce-Jaryno said.
She said this poetry slam had a somber mood because many of the students wrote about sad topics.
“We’re all going through [hardships] that are really similar,” Pearce-Jaryno said. “We all have rough patches, but I appreciate that we all got to have a chance to come together and share a nice moment knowing that things are okay for now.”
Hernandez, who has participated in three poetry slams, said she wrote “Words Unspoken” to express her guilt and regrets about not sharing her feelings with her aunt before she died.
“It’s very nice to be recognized for something that came from the heart,” Hernandez said. “[This poem] came out of [my experiences] and who I am, and it’s something that deeply resonates with me.”
PHOTO BY DEBRA OGUNBOWALE AND ALEXANDRA RUIZ Junior Natalia Hernandez, sophomore Mariam Selim and junior Zahara Chowdhury (left to right) placed second, third and fourth, respectively, at the 23rd Annual Spring Poetry Slam in the media center on April 18.
Hernandez said she enjoyed the relatable topics the student poets addressed.
“They were all very beautiful poems,” Hernandez said. “There’s never a dull moment in the poetry slam, and [the poems] are always very expressive.”
Business and technology teacher Ms. Jankowski, who has been judging LHS’ semiannual poetry slams for about a decade, said the students’ strong presentation skills made it difficult to select the winners.
“The students have been practicing more before [getting] up there, and it shows in their movement and inflection in their voices,” Jankowski said.
She said all the participants should feel proud of themselves.
“You’re a winner for being here,” Jankowski said. “It was a win getting up there, speaking [and] putting your ideas out. You cannot lose in this.”
