On the ninth of March, poets from all over Forest Grove High gathered for the annual Poetry Slam. A poetry slam is very much like a poetry reading, but a slam is a competition. This friendly competition of performance and originality was organized by the Poetry Club and judged by Ms. Nelson and Mr. Stapp. With guests from Field Trip Club, the event started with a non-competitive poetry reading for those who still wanted to read, but didn’t want the pressure of being judged.

The slam was kicked off by an emotional reading by last year’s winner, and the emotion that his poem had shown seemed to foreshadow a pattern for the rest of the competition. Almost every poem after the first reading dealt with deeply personal issues, and were performed with so much emotion that the audience could clearly feel what the poet felt when they wrote the poem. With the deep messages and intensity that the slam was ruled by, the president of Poetry Club, senior Sarah Hampton, felt the need to tell jokes in between each poem while the judges finished their thoughts. The jokes certainly added the comic relief that seemed to be needed.

One by one the poets read their work, bearing their souls for the judges and the audience to see, and one by one we got closer to finding out who the FGHS champion was. When the slam was closed with a reading by Sarah, the judges went off to discuss what they saw and to decide who was the Champion. Jokes continued to be told as the tension was building, and when the moment finally arrived, everyone eagerly awaited the results. And the results were this: the freshman duo of Jessie and Tiffany were to share the crown. They now hold the title of champion, until the next slam, that is.