The coffee was brewed. The music was turned down low. The audience was ready for a treat at the local West Milford Coffee House on January 7. Two West Milford High School students, Emma Jaworski and Shaelyn Huber, were the pioneering competitors in our school’s first annual Poetry Out Loud poetry recitation contest, followed by a poetry slam. Jaworski kicked off the evening with her recitation of Mark Strand’s “Eating Poetry” which is a surreal humorous poem about a person devouring poetry so intensely it is like he becomes a dog with a voracious appetite for words, “Ink runs from the corners of my mouth/ there is no happiness like mine/ I have been eating poetry.” Huber followed with a meaningful recount of Nathaniel Hawthorne’s “The Ocean” which is a somber but peaceful poem about sailors’ lives lost at sea, “The Ocean has its silent caves,/ Deep, quiet and alone; / Though there be fury on the waves, / Beneath them there is none.” The poem goes on to say that people’s graves on earth are guilty and wrought with grief, while those whose graves rest on the ocean’s floor are different, “But peaceful sleep is ever there/ Beneath the dark blue waves.”
After the two students performed their selected pieces for the competition, the floor was opened to the audience to recite their own original poems or to have fun reading other poets’ works. Emily Perry and her friend Becca recited a team poem in which they read some parts in unison and then each had her own section to read. It was a powerful, inspirational poem about not feeling alone in this world, not giving up, and having friends who completely accept you for who you are and support you when you are down. Huber recited two of her original poems and Nicholas Quince-Gorman also performed an original poem of his both, all of which were meaningful and powerful.
Emma Jaworski won the Poetry Out Loud competition in a close race; only one point separated her and Huber. Placing first allows Emma to continue on to the Regional Competition for Poetry Out Loud which will be held February 2 in the Bergen Performing Arts Center. If she wins there, Jaworski can continue to the state level competition.
The high school staff members who organized the competition, Mrs. Petrosillo, Mrs. Giroux, and Mrs. Guenter, would like to thank all the students and parents who came out for the evening to be entertained and to perform, and also extend their thanks to the additional volunteer judge for the evening, Ms. Signorelli. The teachers were pleased with the turnout, for it was more than expected. The four are hoping to organize another Poetry Slam or Open Mic Night type event when spring rolls around, perhaps an event that can be held outside. Ms. Signorelli, who used to assist in running such events in the past, says that they were at one point held in the lower library with Christmas lights hung for ambiance and they featured an emcee, poetry, singers, and people who played guitar or other instruments. It would be a great showcase for student talent that the teachers are excited to explore. Hopefully it will come to fruition and lots of the West Milford student body will attend to perform or to see their friends perform. The teachers would love your ideas about how to make the day or evening for an Open Mic successful, so go see them in their classrooms if you have any contributions.
Overall the evening was a success and the teachers are proud of the students who competed and those who participated in the Poetry Slam. Congratulations, Emma, and good luck in your upcoming competition!