RKYHS hosted its fourth Yeshiva Poetry Slam. The school welcomed over 60 students from eight participating Yeshiva day schools from all over the tri-state area. The Yeshiva Poetry Slam was started nearly a decade ago by Aaron Roller and has grown exponentially since, including both the number of schools involved, as well as the number of students within each participating school.

The poetry slam is a creative outlet for students and a chance to meet other students with similar interests. Poetry slams are powerful because they bring people together who share a love for language and enjoy hearing each other’s works, mixed with the competitive spirit that accompanies any face-off. While there are winners and this is a competition, the more palpable feeling in the room is the camaraderie present between like-minded students who take pleasure in sharing their thoughts. It is a gentle, accepting environment where everyone’s poetry is applauded and appreciated.

The students wrote poetry addressing two topics: “our habits” and “what lies beneath.” The former topic asked students to select a personal habit and explore its effect on their lives. Was it helpful? Obstructive? Thoughtless? The second topic asked students to ponder their experiences of misjudging people or events. Questions they considered were why they did so, what were the repercussions and if the misjudgment was purely negative. Slammers, as the participants are fondly named, enjoy the reflection that Slam Poetry demands, and the performative quality which accompanies the reading. Most of all, RKYHS loved hosting such creativity in their school.