On Tuesday, April 23, the National English Honor Society (NEHS) held its first Open Mic Night for the 23-24 school year, providing a chance for peers to interact with one another, share their creative works, and eat refreshing treats in a soothing environment.

English teacher Jennifer Beasley said that the event was inspiring and commemorated the students for their bravery. “I would describe [Open Mic Night as the] most creative [and] most inspiring, [where] our bravest students come here to share what they’ve written [and] what they feel,” Beasley said. “I think it’s pretty brave of them. It kind of unifies us all because we all have a passion for words.”

Beasley kicked the afternoon off with a quote from the American rapper, Tupac Shakur. “I always get up and kick it off to help them out, but I always use somebody else’s words,” Beasley said. “I’ve never been brave enough to use my words.”

It was an option to speak and share original work but the pleasant environment allowed for a safe space for students to speak. Attendees shared original songs and stories, along with poetry from popular poets.

Students spent their time playing games such as charades or ranting about topics that distressed them by picking folded pieces of paper from glass jars. One of the activities was “acting as teachers,” where students acted out the teacher they had pulled from one of the jars without the use of words. Senior Olivia McMahon acted as English teacher Samuel Colston and chorus teacher Jordan Markwood for her peers to guess.

While there were few in attendance, the atmosphere was relaxing and calming which allowed for a safe and creative space to share pieces and get to know other peers.

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Sitwat Mian

Senior Oliva McMahon stands at the podium ranting about “10-year-olds at Sephora.” “I pulled out of the suggestion jar a few different things to do, so I impersonated some teachers, and I went on rants about completely random things that I pulled out of the jar,” McMahon said. “My favorite thing that I pulled out is probably to do an impression of Mr. Colston because he has such iconic mannerisms to him, that it’s really easy to emulate.”