The poetry slam team won the quarterfinals and earned second place in the semifinal bracket of the Get Lit Classic Slam May 22 and 23.

“I’m proud that our team almost made the finals in our first year because we didn’t really know what to expect, and I think we have a good shot to win next year,” Matt Beyer ’15 said. “At the same time, it’s important to remember not to put too much weight into the scores.”

Poetry groups from all around Los Angeles met to perform original and classic poetry. Judges rated each performance out of 10 points, and the team lost to the Youth Opportunities team by 0.2 points in the semifinals with a score of 124.6.

“They performed so well under pressure and presented such incredibly beautiful, poetic, personal work,” coach and English teacher Caroline Miller said.

The team formed in late April to write group pieces and practice solo poetry for the competition during activities period and after school on Wednesdays.

“We had a lot of ups and downs due to limited rehearsal times and after school conflicts, but by the time we got to the slam, we were confident and happy and ready to support each other no matter what,” Jensen McRae ’15 said.

The slam also encouraged teams to bond and meet other students with similar interests.

“While we waited for the slam to start, we were somehow involved in two rousing bouts of the Cupid Shuffle onstage with other competing poets, which was a great example of the environment — not competitive, but appreciative,” poet Hannah Dains ’16 said. “As poets from other schools went off stage after performing, we set up a high-five train, and after the round was over, everyone was complimenting everyone else on their poetry, regardless of who had won or who had more points. In the end, the points were in the poetry, not the other way around, and I thought that was awesome.”