You walk into the classroom, and immediately you’re overtaken by the echos of female empowerment buzzing from the classroom Promethean board. Looking around, you notice the colorful kaleidoscope of high school students gathered together in this inspirational and intellectual melting pot of creativity where students are free to express their individuality and talk about a diverse set of topics ranging from family issues to global problems affecting our nation.

Poetry Slam is a club that meets every Friday during LAP in Mrs. Miller’s room. It’s a safe place where students can gather together and openly share their personal feelings on almost anything they feel passionate about.

Madison Parrilla, Aka Ziti, and Ben Ruebens explain that they “created the club for PB to have an outlet for students to express themselves.”  

Since this is their first year as a club at Paint Branch, they do not have very many participants. According to the regulars who attend, others may come and go but, on average, only a handful of students actually attend on a regular basis. Of course, skill level varies, but absolutely no one judges.

After Ruebens presented the initial video of the Grand Slam Finals in Atlanta,  the group gathered and Parilla exclaimed, “It’s time to express ourselves. Let our voices be heard!”

Junior Jordan Campbell urged students to join the club because it “ is important in order to show the world the part of you that people scarcely see: your emotions.”

Ms. Miller built off that idea saying that “self-expression is an invaluable part of making one’s identity known in the world. PB’s Slam Poetry Club is finding new and raw ways to get to the heart of the soul.”

In this club, the members embark on a journey to send their message to the world. They learn performance skills in order to enhance their voices and make them heard.

Warning: Some tears may be shed as members begin to open up to their peers, sharing deep and oftentimes personal feelings with the group. According to several individuals, their inspiration oftentimes comes from issues that they are going through such as sexism, racism, abuse, insecurity, and other difficult topics.

Junior Amaia Robinson quotes Melanie Martinez – a talented young singer who starred on The Voice back in 2012 and is famous for her new music album Crybaby – expressing that “all the makeup in the world won’t make you less insecure.”

Fellow junior Zuri Rashad added onto that idea stating that “the hardest person to love is yourself.”

Knowing that these young poets go through very difficult and sometimes tragic events, Ruebens and Parrilla tasked the members with a challenging endeavor: write about trust. However,  for many young people, trust does not come easy.

According to Robinson, “You can’t trust people, because when you do, you make yourself susceptible to being hurt. So it’s better to help yourself.”

Check in to see what these young poets have to say at their next meeting, and maybe even let your own voice be heard.