Pioneer Valley High School student Makai Copado and Righetti High School student Steven Villanueva won first and third place, respectively, at the 2022 Santa Barbara County Poetry Slam, which was held virtually over Zoom at the end of March. Participants of the countywide contest were judged on originality, delivery, enthusiasm, and more, according to the Santa Maria Joint Union High School District.
“Makai is a very talented and gifted student, and I am incredibly proud that he was able to take home the win this year,” Copado’s drama teacher, Selyn Harwin, said in a statement. “Makai’s passion for the performing arts extends way beyond theater, and I am thankful the county has given this opportunity to try new forms of self-expression.”
Copado, a junior, submitted his poems “What We’ve Done Is What We Know” and “I’ll Love You Forever,” while Villanueva, a senior, submitted “Peaceful, Screaming, Golden Gleam” and “Hammer of Justice.” Madeline Miller, a senior at San Marcos High School in Santa Barbara, won second place for her entries, “The One About Sea Anemones” and “Song for My Sister.”
The annual Poetry Slam is a program of the Santa Barbara County Education Office (SBCEO) and is described as a combination of performance, writing, competition, and audience participation.
“Spoken word poetry provides students a stage to be unapologetic truth-tellers and to use the power of language and authentic performance to transcend human struggle and create beauty,” Ellen Barger, assistant superintendent of SBCEO Curriculum and Instruction, said in a statement. “It is art for collective healing.”
To find out more about the Santa Barbara County Poetry Slam, visit sbceo.org.
This article appears in Apr 14-21, 2022.
