Get Lit teens present personal poetry
The group hopes to bring poetry to more students and to inspire them to participate in the art.
Zach Perlmuter performs one of his poems during the Get Lit assembly on Tuesday.
January 21, 2015
As the students filed into the MPR on Wednesday morning, Bruno Mars’ “Uptown Funk” blasted from the speakers. The mood of the room instantly lifted as Get Lit host Paul Mabon, known for his appearance on Nickelodeon show “Sam and Cat,” greeted the audience with several jokes.
“Whip out your phones now because if you don’t, you’re going to wish you did,” Mabon said as he encouraged audience involvement during the teen poets presentation.
Get Lit is a program that is dedicated to bringing poetry and literature awareness and expression through spoken-word techniques. English teacher Ron Baer invited the Get Lit team to the school in hopes of getting students involved in poetry competitions.
Several of the Get Lit teen poets have performed across the nation, from the White House to Dodgers Stadium. Teen poets Delalya Valladares, Camille Spirlin, Kyland Turner, Marquesha Babers and Zach Perlmuter presented the audience with an array of poetry. The young poets presented a collection of classical poems with a response poem. Each poet even presented their own poems in the form of spoken word. Their poetry stuck to the themes of hate but learning to self love, while also reflecting on their harsh upbringings.
“It’s not easy to talk about feelings. But poets, they tell their lives,” host Mabon said.
Physical Education teacher Robert Bryan reads a quickly written poem for students during the Get Lit assembly. Get Lit aims to make poetry more accessible to students and to get them involved in poetry competitions.
