Lavelle Prep Hosts 1st Annual Poetry Slam - John W. Lavelle Preparatory Charter School

On Friday, April 8th, 2022 Lavelle Prep High School was proud to host its first ever (now annual!) poetry slam.

The goal of the slam was for students to have the opportunity to express themselves through the art of poetry, combining poetry techniques and inspiration with personal emotion and experiences. The theme of the event was healing.

Student Jade Dominguez served as student host alongside Guest Poet Prince A. McNally, a Brooklyn-born poet, writer, philosopher, activist, and spoken word artist whose work focuses primarily on the human condition and social injustice. Prince A. McNally met with participants and students prior to the event to offer support through encouraging words and coached them through the rehearsal of their poetic pieces.

To prepare for the inaugural event organized by staff members Rosalia Dechbery, Azure Cayenne and Stephanie Walcott, teachers incorporated poetry analysis and creative writing into the ELA curriculum to celebrate that April was U.S National Poetry Month. Organizers shared their own creative works with students to further foster the collective spirit of healing.

Lead organizer Rosalia Dechbery said, “When speaking to our students, we have reflected that we are in a period of recovery as a school, a community, a country that is emerging from a global pandemic, and as a world that is coping with the ongoing war in Ukraine. We are all in need of healing, so we chose to focus on the healing process and the need for healing as the theme for this Poetry Slam.”

Lavelle High School poets included: