All-school poetry contest winners announced at annual festival

Alyssa Alvarez, Sports Editor
May 9, 2014

Senior Thomas Egan recites an original poem at the annual Poetry Festival. The Festival's theme this year is "Voice," and included performances by the SHHS a cappella group.
Senior Thomas Egan recites an original poem at the annual Poetry Festival. The Festival’s theme this year is “Voice,” and included performances by the SHHS a cappella group.

Guest speaker and all-school Poetry Festival judge Jovel Queirolo (’10) announced the winner of the annual high school poetry contest. Queirolo was an all-school winner of the contest herself, and awarded sophomore Daniel Im and senior Tess Holland the same title.

Students from both Stuart Hall and Convent were required to turn in at least one poem to their English teachers in February.
“Everyone had to write their names on the back of their poem, so there wouldn’t be any bias,” Madeleine Ainslie, first place winner for the Junior Class said. “I liked this policy because I didn’t want anyone to know that I’d written that poem.”
First, second, and third place winners were selected from each class for both high schools, as well as a CSH and SHHS all-school winner.
“This year’s theme was ‘Voice,’” Queirolo said. “I was looking for sentence flow and grammatical skills, as well as how the words were working together to communicate a message,”
Preceding the awards, Will Hackel, who won first place for the Stuart Hall Junior Class, and other students from both schools, performed poems they wrote themselves or had inspired them.
“I chose to pick a poem that was very engaging and tone oriented to express that presenting poetry isn’t just about reading aloud,” said Hackel who performed “Repetition”  by Phil Kaye.
The festival opened with Stuart Hall’s a capella group singing “Can You Feel the Love Tonight” and “The Lion Sleeps Tonight,” a prayer and an espacio, before transitioning into spoken word performances in English and Spanish.
“I think it gives students the opportunity to express themselves in very a creative and vulnerable way,” English teacher Julia Arce said. “The festival develops an appreciation for poetry, but more importantly it helps us respect people who take risks to share their observations.”
Senior Thomas Egan recites an original poem at the annual Poetry Festival. The Festival's theme this year is "Voice," and included performances by the SHHS a cappella group.
Senior Thomas Egan recites an original poem at the annual Poetry Festival. The Festival’s theme this year is “Voice,” and included performances by the SHHS a cappella group.

Alyssa Alvarez & Ashley Latham

Guest speaker and all-school Poetry Festival judge Jovel Queirolo (’10) announced the winner of the annual high school poetry contest. Queirolo was an all-school winner of the contest herself, and awarded sophomore Daniel Im and senior Tess Holland the same title.

Students from both Stuart Hall and Convent were required to turn in at least one poem to their English teachers in February.

“Everyone had to write their names on the back of their poem, so there wouldn’t be any bias,” Madeleine Ainslie, first place winner for the Junior Class said. “I liked this policy because I didn’t want anyone to know that I’d written that poem.”

First, second, and third place winners were selected from each class for both high schools, as well as a CSH and SHHS all-school winner.

“This year’s theme was ‘Voice,’” Queirolo said. “I was looking for sentence flow and grammatical skills, as well as how the words were working together to communicate a message.”

Preceding the awards, Will Hackel, who won first place for the Stuart Hall Junior Class, and other students from both schools, performed poems they wrote themselves or had inspired them.

“I chose to pick a poem that was very engaging and tone oriented to express that presenting poetry isn’t just about reading aloud,” said Hackel who performed “Repetition”  by Phil Kaye.

The festival opened with Stuart Hall’s a cappella group singing “Can You Feel the Love Tonight” and “The Lion Sleeps Tonight,” a prayer and an espacio, before transitioning into spoken word performances in English and Spanish.

“I think it gives students the opportunity to express themselves in very a creative and vulnerable way,” English teacher Julia Arce said. “The festival develops an appreciation for poetry, but more importantly it helps us respect people who take risks to share their observations.”