This year’s poetry slam promotional video. Courtesy of librarian Ms. Larson.

Originating at Shawnee Mission Northwest, the poetry slam is a competition that allows students to stand before a live audience and literally perform “slam” poetry that they have written just for the event. The entire concept of “slam” poetry is that the delivery and verbal telling of each freeform poetry piece is just as important as the writing itself. While the Slam is headed up by Ms. Larson , English and Writer’s Workshop teacher Laura Beachy has encouraged all of her students to participate, and even had some of her classes write practice “slam” poetry pieces.

“A lot of the thoughts and emotions, and experiences that are expressed in slam poetry are not ones that just appear casually in daily conversation,” Beachy said.

While many are participating just for fun, or to try something new, the slam is still a judged contest with prizes and advancement to the district competition on the line. This competition aspect is where Beachy really thinks things will get interesting, especially considering how very few entrants have ever done something of this nature before.

“It takes a lot of courage to perform, because you really are opening yourself up to the audience in some very significant ways, and people don’t tend to do that.” Beachy said.

While the works performed often range from the dramatic and brooding to comedic and sidesplitting, contestants will all be judged on criteria based on both the poem and performance of it. In the first round, the judges will give each contestant a raw score of 1-10, and the highest scores will continue on to the next round where they will perform a second piece. The winner of this round will go on to the district contest where they will face the best slam poets from each of the Shawnee Mission high schools.

Helping Hand

Thanks to a captivating anecdote from his own life, Junior Adam Seligson found the inspiration to slowly craft his one act play, Helping Hand. Two years after giving some spare change to a homeless man on the street in The Country Club Plaza, Seligson noticed the very same man working at a store in the area, possibly indicating that he had turned his situation around. “Helping Hand” follows this same formula. As a young boy, Connor gives some money to a homeless man named Sean, and the audience gets to watch as he visualizes what may become of the Sean’s life now that he has a little monetary help getting by.

“I’ve never really seen myself as a director,” Seligson said. Still, he has enjoyed the process of working alongside his cast, and trading ideas with them for possible edits to the script and story.

Disaster Dance

When drama teachers Thomas Defeo and Brian Capello gave the idea of re-telling a story that makes you laugh now, but made you cry at the time, senior Dawn Selder knew exactly what to do for her roughly 10 minute long rep show. After an awful experience at this year’s homecoming dance, Selder decided to recreate her story as “Disaster Dance”, a comedy all about her terrible night. Using her real life friends’ middle names as her characters, Selder describes the one act as “the trials and tribulations of getting through a dance.” While the show has been a lot of work, Selder has had to balance “Disaster Dance” with work on her “Frequent Friday” play and her position as crew chief on the upcoming mainstage play “Arsenic and Old Lace.”

E.T.H.

Loosely based on his personal experiences, junior Riley Watson’s show, “E.T.H.” isn’t about the “happy” or “sad” times in relationships, but more so the “we’re more than friends, but nothing official” times, according to the show’s director. Using the names of girls from different Ben Fold’s songs as his main characters, such as Emaline and Cathy, Watson’s show is about a guy who just can’t find the right girl, but doesn’t stop trying. A comedy, E.T.H. is close to Watson because of how much it draws from his real life.

“Having someone play me is odd,” Watson said. “Because I see myself differently from how people see me.” Ultimately, the most challenging part of the experience has been recreating all the moments where things didn’t go right for Watson, and literally watching his actors play out what he wished he would’ve done.

The fundraiser is being held by the YVC, a national, non-for-profit network of programs that offer youths, ages 11 to 18, the opportunity to improve their community through volunteering. The YVC has locations all over the country in 28 different states, and can also be found in Canada. First launched in 1987, the YVC has sponsored local community-based organizations such as Volunteer Centers, Hands On, YMCA, Boys and Girls Club of America, Camp Fire, The United Way and school districts across the nation. Their mission; To create and increase volunteer opportunities to enrich youth, address community needs and develop a lifetime commitment to service. The bands will by playing at 5000 Holmes Road in Kansas City, Missouri from 2 to 6 pm.