By — Misti DeHart
NW Campus’ Marine Creek Collegiate High School has a new award-winning poet.
Freshman Brandon Sanders performed two poetry and spoken word pieces at the Kimbell Art Museum’s Renzo Piano Pavilion to a crowd of 125 guests and participants.
Sanders, as well as three other MCCHS students encouraged by Marine Creek English teacher Rebecca Altizer, participated in the Impossible Possibilities’ fifth annual Sik’Lik Poetry Slam competition. Middle school and high school students were invited to attend and compete for prizes such as Beats earbuds, Apple products and gift cards and a chance to advance to the finals on the Fort Worth National Poetry Slam Team.
It looks like they will advance, as Altizer puts it, because Sanders took home second place, but it’s not a done deed yet.
“MC Slam [MCCHS Poetry Club] will have to compete on Jan. 9 in Dallas, which is the team qualifier, and Jan. 12 in Fort Worth for the NPS [National Poetry Slam] qualifier to secure their spot on the team,” Altizer said. “Brandon has to finalize his spot by himself. He has to prove his worth. Mike [Guinn, national poetry coach] is a very tough coach and never lets his competitors rest on their laurels.”
Students who continue to place will compete nationally in the spring, provided they have maintained good academic standing at their respective high schools.
