MULTILINGUAL POETRY SLAM SUCCESS

On Friday 27^th a group of year 8s, 9s, and 10s were at the Civic Centre for an eye-opening Multilingual Poetry Slam. The girls represented the school brilliantly, and were even awarded certificates for their performances with four other great schools. First, the girls were treated to performances of poetry in multiple languages by professional spoken word artists in the Council Chamber. The poets Steve Larkin, Elida Silvey, Michaël Vidon and Zohab Zee Khan all inspired the students with their work. Following this, they engaged with writing and performance workshops. Each of the four poets led break-out groups to help the students write their own multilingual poetry.

These workshops included games, poem analysis and writing prompts. Here, the girls showed originality and passion in their creative expression. Many students drew upon various languages they or their family speak at home. Finally, the day was rounded off with a full Poetry Slam with participants and winners going home with prizes. This gave our students a new experience of this kind of event, which they really enjoyed. Our students worked in groups to courageously perform their original multilingual poems on the stage in the Council Chamber. A panel of judges including professional poets, an EU official and children from the audience marked their scores. The girls were able to deliver their newly written work with confidence and skill, leading to groups from Sacred Heart winning two of the five possible awards, and returning with a well-earned sense of pride