Last Friday, for the fourth year in a row, Wayland High School teachers and students enjoyed a few hours with some of Boston’s most entertaining poets. At this poetry “slam,” the poets competed to see who could best please the audience. The audience members took advantage of the opportunity to actively participate in the slam by cheering on, and judging, the contestants.

This year, Regie Gibson returned to head up the slam and share a few poems of his own. Accompanying him was a jazz trio composed of sax, bass and drums, which improvised behind his hip act, then backed up three three local poets: April Ranger, Marlon Cary, and Iyeoka Okoawo. Students were eager to welcome back Marlon and Iyeoka, who have already wowed the crowd in previous performances at Wayland High School. However, this was April’s first visit to Wayland, and students were also excited to see a new face.

The poets were able to engage students with their soulful and relatable poems. The poetry was much more than rhyming words; with its impressive delivery, the poetry was lively and inspirational. “The performance gave me a new perspective on poetry,” says Wayland High School junior Sophie Gavell. “It wasn’t boring or hard to understand, and the audience got really into it.”

Five years ago, as a resident poet, Regie Gibson visited Wayland High School English classes and engaged the students in poetry workshops. He first came to Wayland alone, but the next year he gathered a group of poets and returned for Wayland’s first annual poetry slam. The slam was a success and has been brought to Wayland every year since.

Although, over the years, some of the poets have changed, the goal has remained the same—to involve the school community in the art of poetry. “Part of the purpose of bringing the slam back year after year is to show students that poetry isn’t just about words on a page,” says English teacher Janet Karman. “Poetry has vitality and it can be combined with other creative arts like dance and music, and it can even make you want to stand up and cheer.”