At Concept Schools, our annual Spoken Word Competition is more than a collection of student performances––it is a rare space for young people to speak their truth and connect with their peers through shared experiences. By providing this platform, students are able to find their voice and develop a deeper understanding about themselves and the world around them.
This past weekend, our students were able to do just that.
Using the guide of this year’s theme, “Voices of Strength. Stories of Survival,” poetry enthusiasts from across our network delivered powerful spoken word performances in front of a packed audience at Toledo Public Library. One of the event’s organizers, Rachel Sykora, was impressed by the display of courage and resilience throughout the two-day event.
“[Spoken Word] bridges classroom academia with real life,” said Sykora. “This provides them a platform to work through the level of trauma that some of these students have experienced––either personally or something that’s happening in the world.
“It’s amazing to watch them perform because I think there are many adults who couldn’t put pen to paper, let alone perform in front of an audience, and speak the truth about the things that have happened to them.”
The competition was split into two sections between its middle school and high school divisions: the free form individual event and the free form team event. Each piece lasted between two to six minutes and tackled heavy subjects of the likes of racial identity, navigating familial trauma, and finding strength in the midst of dark times.
Team "Twice" from IMSA North won the middle school team event and team "Let It Be The Dream Team" from HSA Columbus took home first place honors in the high school team event. For the individual events, HSA Dayton's Keighlynn Hardin-Moore came in first place in the middle school division while HSA Toledo's Demario Johnson was the winner at the high school level.
Event Director Andy Flaherty believes the competition is a great opportunity for students to not only connect with people they wouldn't normally see in their region but also as an invaluable exercise for young poets to think about the process of writing.
“Writing is hard for people when they aren’t organically thinking about writing,” Flaherty said. “This is an organic process and we want them to be curious. This is all a set up for curiosity. When you are curious about something, you’re going to be more invested in it when you go to write about it.
“(Spoken Word) is fun and it makes you feel good about what you can do here.”
The event also included a writers workshop where the competition's participants analyzed the works of various poets and discussed what each piece meant to them. As Flaherty points out, to be a great writer you need to consume great writing.
The group of students found the workshop's exercises to be engaging and helpful as they find their voices within this art form.
"Thank you so much for the Writers Roundtable and Workshop,” one student wrote to Concept Schools. “Even though you are an adult, you made it interesting and helped me think about what I read and whether or not it changes my writing. Let's do more of these."
For more information about next year's Spoken Word Competition, email Flaherty at [email protected].
