Written by Isabelle Termath and Isaac Villegas, Staff Writers
This school year, Poly’s 11th graders went above and beyond to showcase their talent and poetic expressions during the annual SLAM competition.
On March 20, 2026, Poly High School held its annual SLAM Poetry Competition in the Arthur Littleworth Theater on campus. It is a unique tradition for our school, a day to celebrate the expression and creativity of Poly’s juniors. Teachers, district staff, and beloved members among the Poly community host the competition and judge the poets, deciding the winners for groups, duos, and soloists. In a final “SLAM-Off,” eight soloists perform their poem once again, showing their best efforts of sincerity, ambition, personality, and what message they hope to leave with the audience. Students are given liberty to write about anything they wish. Topics range from love, politics, brainrot, mental health, etc. Every junior brings their own perspective to the stage, expressing it in rhythm and palpitating energy. This is what makes the competition such a compelling display of ingenuity. Each poem is a story they feel worth telling, whether it is their own or not.
This year, it was evident that the Poly juniors had specific things in mind that they wanted to get off their chest, given that there were many central themes expressed across various students while still bringing a fresh perspective for each one. Some of the main topics that were mostly seen were about worries of the treatment of immigrants in our country, gender roles in the patriarchal system, and even some heartfelt discussions revolving around grief, love, and friendship. This year’s winners in the Group category were Oswaldo Rodriguez, Alexia Reyes, and Julia Gonzales with their poem “Echo in Three Times.” Additionally, there were the winners in the Duo category: Ariel Connell and Allyson Cash with their slam poem “Every Girl’s Story.”
Last but certainly not least, this year’s SLAM-off consisted of eight final soloists: Jacob Brusca, Jaime Rubalcava, Jaxon Cabrera, Andres Pelayo, Nancy Garcia, Athena Berbano, Ella Fortine, and Kathryn Burke. After having each of these solosists perform their slam poem a second time, the judges decided on their top three finalists. In third place, we had Andres Pelayo with his poem “Love,” second place was claimed by Jacob Brusca with his poem “A Broken System,” and in first place for Poly’s 2025-2026 annual SLAM competition was Nancy Garcia with her well-deserved poem “The American Dream.”
While there were winners for each category, it goes without saying that each and every SLAM poem performed was magical in its own way and should therefore be celebrated. They should all be incredibly proud of themselves and all the work they poured into showcasing their hearts in a completely new way to them. It is quite a feat walking on that stage and pouring one’s soul out for all to see! Regardless of nerves, each person handled themselves expertly and helped make the 2025-2026 SLAM competition memorable.
Below is a list of all the group, duo, and soloist performances that were not mentioned above along with YouTube links that direct to the recordings of these amazing slam poems:
GROUP CATEGORY:
| Rylee Renteria, Isabella Zepeda, and Jazzlynn Moulton | “That Part” |
| Adriana Caliari, Kelsey Troast, and Brooke Barba | “The Weight of Expectations” |
DUO CATEGORY:
| Lucy McPherson and Olivia McPherson | “Twins” |
| Elizabeth Murray and Penelope McIntosh | “Cats” |
| Liliana Arrington and Gabby Robinson | “Just Pick a Side” |
| Kendra Nolasco and Katelyn Rios Mendoza | “We Are…” |
| Anberlin Alferez and Afrikaah Valdovinos | “The Game of Love” |
| Jacques Wong and Charlie Brusca | “Minecraft” |
SOLOIST CATEGORY:
| Noah Williams | “Envy” |
| Langston Sachs | “What We Not Finna Do…” |
| Sadie Gutierrez | “Silent” |
| Ino Aleman | “This Evening’s Entertainment” |
| Natalia Vortuba | “Mark Making” |
| Kaelin Bain | “I’m Me” |
| Liam Morris | “My Story” |
| Gwen Hernandez | “Learning to Begin” |
| Seraph Aragon | “Generation Generation” |
| Jacob Custode | “Fortnite” |
| Zander Hix | “Call Your Bluff” |
| Sydney Whitlock | “Happiness Hurts” |
| Kassie Richards | “Facade” |
| Mei-Lin Edmondson | “My Biggest Dream” |
| Arlene Castro | “Childhood Worries” |
| Sophia Montez | “Grief” |
| Vincent Solis | “Weapon of Mass Production” |
| Bella Zornoza-Garcia | “Signs” |
| Alurabella Chandler | “Can You See Me?” |
| Evelyn Lugo | “Lessons” |
| Nat Catano | “I’m Not Hungry” |
| Jacob Brusca | “A Broken System” |
| Yuvi Davenport | “Determined to Grow” |
| Britny Vasquez Lopez | “I Allow Myself” |
| Bella Salgado | “Our American Dream” |
| Emelia Gaines | “Home” |
| Setareh Heidari | “The Freedom to Become” |
| Victoria Hernandez | “I_M Becoming” |
| Natalya Barbarin | “Are You By My Side?” |
| Olivia Vega | “Dear Me of 2019” |
| Macy Bethel | “Loud” |
| Natalie Ramirez | “Bitter Heroes” |
| Noah Shields | “Mustard Seeds and Believing in Yourself” |
| Maddox Hackworth | “When You Were Still Here” |
| Jerry Valle | “Out of Time” |
| Kathryn Lauda | “Is That Too Much to Ask For?” |
| Austin Pelsh | “Rough Year” |
| Andres Pelayo | “Love” |
| Olivia Maciel | “Hidden Lives” |
| Lillian Zeeb | “But When is it Enough?” |
| Mary Garcia | “How is it Fair?” |
| Daniela Tirado | “Sonder” |
| Samirah Fernandez | “Where Do You Come From?” |
| Nancy Garcia | “The American Dream” |
| Jaime Rubalcava | “Love Hurts” |
| Jaxon Cabrera | “Dear Son” |
| Kai Bonngard | “The Game” |
| Madison Olvera | “I Care” |
| Armando Mendez | “Still Standing in Glass” |
| Athena Berbano | “The Light Stayed On” |
| Ella Fortine | “A Smoker Eavesdrops on My Phone Call” |
| Aubrey Beleche | “You Are Becoming” |
| Kathryn Burke | “The Pen Stings” |
| Ashton Bell | “I Learned This From You” |
| Kailani Wiseman | “My Crowded Brain” |
| Leila Ellis | “Big Sister” |
| Isabelle Suarez | “14” |
| Keaton Pilliter | “Who Do You See?” |
| Lennon Lugo | “Empathy” |
| Anabel Ceja | “Someone” |
| Maya Moran | “Girl in the Mirror” |
| Lucy Billhartz | “When I Was” |
| Ruben Guizar | “Have Faith” |
YOUTUBE LINKS OF THE ENTIRE COMPETITION: