On Friday, November 18th, the AHS Key Club held its third annual Holiday Poetry Slam, hosted by the event founder, Tyler Rosado. “This year’s event was bigger and better than ever before! We had a dynamic judges panel and a wide variety of entries. We even increased the number of causes we support! What I’m most proud of is the increase in attendance this year! It’s great to see so many Apex students excited for the Holiday Poetry Slam,” he stated.

This year, eleven poets took to the stage for a chance to claim their victory, but there was one individual that specifically moved the judges. Maliha Aamir’s poem titled November (Learning how to be a Woman) touched many hearts and left many of the judges in tears. Aamir was named the Peak Poet 2022 and was awarded the Golden Book by last year’s Peak Poet, Alex Shelton. Aamir stated, “This year’s Holiday Poetry Slam meant so much to me as a senior! It’s been really fun watching myself grow from sophomore year until now, and I really love that my poems have captured a part of me, my life, and my feelings from each year. To anybody reading this, I encourage you to always keep going with the things you love! My third time was a charm, and who knows? Maybe yours will be too.”

The judges lineup consisted of many beloved AHS staff, including Mr. Baker, Ms. Dott, Ms. Gonzalez, Mrs. McGee, Ms. Ridder, and Mr. Rutledge. Each of these staff brought fresh ideas and perspectives to the table. English teacher Mr. Baker stated, “Something I loved from the poetry slam was just the atmosphere. Sometimes poets can take themselves a little too seriously, and so I loved the lightheartedness of the competition. There still was some great, thoughtful, and deep poetry being read, but the way the judges, the announcers and the audience engaged with the poets was a lot of fun.” Mr. Rutledge, history teacher and football extraordinaire, stated, “I really enjoyed branching out of athletics and was grateful to be involved in something involving the English side of things! I had a great time getting to hear all of the students and the things they were passionate about through their poetry.” English teacher Ms. Gonzalez stated, “The participants put their all into their performances and shared such vulnerable parts of themselves. It was truly a joy to participate in.” English teacher Ms. Dott said, “I love that you can feel all different kinds of emotions: humor from the hosts and judges bantering, amazement at the contestants’ bravery and talent, tenderness from the poetry topics shared, and pride in our Apex students.”

Each year, entry to the Holiday Poetry Slam is proof of donation to local charities. This year, entry into the Holiday Poetry Slam required a donation to the Boys and Girls Club, or a donation of five cans to the Backpack Buddies Food Drive. This year, the event raised seven hundred dollars as well as two hundred cans.

Host Tyler Rosado concluded the event with a sign off, explaining the origin and history of the poetry slam as well as all that it has meant to him and his hopes for its future. Finally, he extended his thanks to all those who have continuously made the event possible, including the audience. He is excited to see all that will come for the Poetry Slam in the future.

All entries from the Poetry Slam will be posted on Instagram and Youtube later this month, so be sure to check them out!