Here at NISS, there are a couple of interesting things going on. Kathleen McArthur, the art teacher, is having an art show/poetry slam, and this Spring Break the Travel Club is making a trip to Belize!
For those who do not know about slam poetry, it is an oral poetry competition in which the topic of the poem can be about anything one likes or is interested in writing about. There are no rules or regulations about what the poem is about. It can be for any age, as well. The only rules the competition has are there are no props to be used during the performance, and you must finish your poem within three minutes, plus a 10-second grace period.
If the poet goes over time, points will be deducted from the total score. The judges are picked at random from the audience, and the poets with the highest scores will move on to the next rounds. Many people think this is similar to open mic, and it is. The only major difference is slam poetry is engineered for the audience; whereas, a number of open mic readings are engineered as a support network for poets.
Slam poetry is designed for the audience to react vocally and openly to all aspects of the show, including the poet's performance, the judges' scores, and the host's banter. Many people are looking forward to hearing more about Mrs. McArthur’s plans!
This year, the Travel Club is making a special visit to Belize. Belize is in Central America, bordered by Mexico to the north and Guatemala to the west and south. Its known for its subtropical fish, birds, and even shark viewing. Belize has many Mayan history locations with more than 900 historic locations, some of which the travel club will be viewing.
The club also plans on going cave-tubing, snorkelling, and zip-lining. They are also going to be helping out the less fortunate.
"The highlight for me will be our school visit in one of the poorest regions in San Pedro," said Kathy Mitchell, one of the chaperones of the travel club. "We are going to a school that is operated solely on donations. They have given us a wish list of supplies they need, and we are going to be taking as many of these items as possible. The school is kindergarten to grade eight, and this year they will have their first graduating class from when the school opened. Can't wait. We are all very excited and counting down the days!"
Nicole Klaric is a Grade 11 student and Carley Bobb is a Grade 10 student at North Island Secondary School in Port McNeill.