The Belmont Hill community gathered on Friday, April 25th, for the 31st annual Poetry Fest, a celebration of poems that has become an established tradition at our school. After a highly selective process, ten finalists were chosen to perform at the Friday Chapel in front of the entire school. This year’s finalists included Will Achtmeyer ’26, performing “Never Mind” by Leonard Cohen; Alexander Isaac ’30, performing “The Gift Outright” by Robert Frost; Marco Pena ’28, performing “Achilles’ Speech in the Underworld”; Alex Chen ’27, performing “The Sunshine Kid” by Harry Baker; Ben Qin ’29, performing “The Laughing Heart” by Charles Bukowski; Andrew Agular ’28, performing “Walking Around” by Pablo Neruda; Nicky Jones ’26, performing “Intricately Woven” by Clive Norman; Ryan Ho ’28, performing “There are no Kings in America” by Aileen Cassinetto; Arun Lenhart ’29, performing “Preludes” by T.S. Eliot; and Babikir Saeed ’26, performing “America” by Claude McKay.
Facing a tough decision after such excellent performances by each of the finalists, the judges ultimately chose three winners: Marco Pena ’28, Alex Chen ’27, and Andrew Agular ’28. Marco Pena recited “Achilles’ Speech in the Underworld” in both Latin and the English translation— and both with equal passion and vigor. The rhythmic flow and flawless performance of “The Sunshine Kid” by Alex Chen elicited “mms” from a very entertained audience. Andrew Agular’s powerful delivery of “Walking Around” had pure emotion reverberating through the chapel. When reflecting on the winning performances, Adrian Tan ’25, one of last year’s Poetry Fest winners, said, “Marco Pena impressed us all with his fluency in Latin as well as dynamic voice. Alex Chen’s recitation speed was almost like rapping, and Andrew Agular fully conveyed the emotions in his poem.”
The Panel congratulates this year’s winners and finalists and looks forward to more breathtaking recitations in next year’s Poetry Fest!