Photo Credit: Morgan Michos[/caption]Dedicated to all of the procrastinators who refuse to study over Christmas Break
‘Twas the night before Christmas Break, when all through the school,
Not a creature was stirring, not even the class fool.
The chairs were all stacked on the desks with care,
In hopes that the janitor would soon be there.
The students were nestled all snug in their beds,
While visions of school-free weeks danced in their heads,
And a backpack in its corner and pencils away,
Had just settled down for a homework-less day.
When written on the calendars, revealed exams,
Students dreaded the time when they were forced to cram.
Away from school they flew like a bird,
In hope that wrapped gifts would have exam dates blurred.
When all of a sudden, heard on the school roof,
The prancing and pawing of each little hoof.
Students gathered, excited, dancing around,
When down the chimney Santa came with a bound.
He was dressed all in fur, from his head to his foot,
And his clothes were all tarnished with ashes and soot.
Packages of scrap paper he had flung on his back,
And he looked like a high schooler just opening his backpack.
He was chubby and plump, a right jolly old elf,
And they laughed when they saw him, in spite of themselves.
A wink of his eye and a twist of his head,
Soon let them know they had everything to dread.
He spoke not a word, but went straight to his work,
And sharpened all the pencils; then turned with a jerk,
And laying his finger aside of his nose,
And giving a nod, up the chimney he rose.
He sprang to his sleigh, to his team gave a whistle,
And away they all flew like the down of a thistle.
But I heard him exclaim, ere he drove out of sight,
GOOD LUCK WITH EXAMS, AND TO ALL A GOOD-NIGHT!
Photo Credit: Maddie Norwood[/caption]The somber notes of love poems, hurried beats of rap, and soulful tones of musical poetry filled the Learning Commons Thursday, October 30 as students and staff members remembered recently deceased teacher assistant Edmond Curry. The open-mic poetry slam took place in Lunch A from 10:15 to 11:15 am.
Orange County Schools behavior interventionist Umar Muhammad opened the slam by describing his memories of Curry and explaining why a poetry slwas a fitting way to honor him. Curry was “creative, innovative, and outgoing” and “wasn’t afraid to express himself,” he said. The purpose of the slam was to honor Curry and “engage something inside of you.”
There was never a slow moment at the slam--when one student finished speaking, another quickly took his or her place at the podium. While some of the performers were members of the poetry and rap group Apollo’s Panthers, others were new to poetry. Most students had something they had written to read, but a few just took a moment to speak to the audience about an issue that concerned them, such as treating others with respect.
Mark Greenstreet, the advisor of Apollo’s Panthers and an English teacher, performed musical poetry at the slam. He decided to honor Curry with a poetry slam because “Mr. Curry was instrumental in organizing and performing in OHS' first open mic... When we lost our brother and colleague, we wanted to both honor his memory with the nomenclature of the event we collectively inspired, and capture the beauty of his lifelong pursuit: he used the power and beauty of his voice to enlighten and inspire others to find and share theirs.” He remembers Curry as “a friend, a brother and a fellow artist.”
Samantha Nance, a member of Apollo’s Panthers, read four poems--”The Art of Preservation,” “The Union of Sky and Sea,” “Wander” and the biblical passage 1 Thessalonians 4:13-14. Although she thought the slam was “chaotic” at times, she “was really impressed” for it being the first slam. “We had a great turnout and most of the people were really attentive and respectful. I'm extremely happy that we had members from the audience come up. I know how scary it is to do something like that, but they were all amazing,” she stated.
Although Nance “didn't know [Curry] very well,” she knew “he was a great guy. He liked to laugh and enjoy life. I was very sad when I heard the news and send my thoughts to his family during this time.”
Rodney DeLoach, also in Apollo’s Panthers, wrote and read “The Union of Sea and Sky” with Nance. He also read “Gangsta,” “Music Freedom,” and “The Mood.” “The main takeaway from my poetry should be that everything is poetry, be it from your perspective or anything [or] anyone's perspective,” he said.