Los Altos High School will have its 12th annual Freshman Poetry Battle this Friday during ACT in the Eagle Theater. The panel of judges consists of English teachers Arantxa Arriada and Caitlin Hannon, and senior Jennifer Palacios. English teacher Jonathan Kwan, who organized the event alongside Arriada, will be the battle’s host and MC.

12 freshmen will compete in the poetry battle this year. Below are their descriptions of their poems and why they wrote them.

Ishika Anand – “Just Roll”

“My poem is inspired by a saying my dad has—to roll with the punches. Whenever I go up to him with my problems, he tells me to just roll with the punches, stay calm, and not give up. I used to get annoyed with him for saying that, but looking back, it was the best advice he could give me because it showed me that somebody believed in me.”

Ahaan Basu – “The Balancing Act”

“I wrote this poem because I wanted to express the overwhelming pressure of balancing school, extracurricular activities, a social life, and all the expectations students live under. The poem has symbols like a ticking clock to represent time slipping away and a tightrope to symbolize the struggle to keep up. In the end, the poem is about embracing the chaos and moving forward anyway.”

Sara Dharmasanam – “A Reflection”

“My poem is about looking in the mirror, seeing your reflection, and how it means two things: your physical reflection and also like you’re reflecting on what you see in the mirror. It’s also about beauty standards and social media. But the main basis is how a mirror is like a symbol of how you see yourself.”

Brianna Garcia – “Quiet Love”

“Since we’re performing on Valentine’s Day, I thought it’d be cool to do a love poem. As I wrote it, it took a darker turn. I touched on topics like acceptance of the LGBTQ+ community and how they sometimes feel restricted about expressing their love freely because of backlash from their friends and family.”

Jungsoo Hahn – “The Cost For a Cure”

“My poem focuses on how expensive healthcare is. I don’t think your income level or your economic status should determine whether you’re given or denied healthcare. My grandpa was sick and he got the best medical care, so it’s disturbing to me that some people are deprived of the same quality of care. The issue of healthcare is one of the most prominent issues in our society right now and I wanted to write about that.”

Rain Han – “The Mirror”

“My poem is about beauty standards and seeing yourself differently through a mirror when you grow up. I remember when I was really young, I would wear pink dresses and look at myself and think, ‘Oh, I’m like the prettiest person in the world.’ But when we’re older, we don’t really look at ourselves that way. That’s what I’m trying to capture with my poem.”

Diya Jain – “Expectations”

“My poem is about the expectations that my family has placed on me. Sometimes, I feel pressured to do things, and I get stressed about my future. I wrote this poem because I wanted to tell people how I felt. Many people also feel similarly, and I wanted to connect with others about these feelings.”

Derek Kao – “The Silver Medal”

“I listened to a song that had the word ‘matinee’ in it, which basically means ‘daytime performance’, and that inspired my poem. The poem is about a boy and girl performing on stage and how the girl gets second place while the boy gets gold. Her parents are disappointed in her while everyone else is happy.”

Stephanie Kunz – “Perfection”

“My poem is about the pressure that students, especially in the Bay Area, feel about academics and the general feeling that you have to be perfect. I wrote it because a lot of people, like me and my friends, can relate to that feeling. I wanted to communicate how overwhelming high expectations can be, even if you’re just in high school.”

Ethan Lee – “Roots”

“My poem is about being Chinese and Korean but being born in the US, and keeping that culture as a part of my identity even as I grow up in the US. I feel like the Chinese and Korean part of me is secondhand, and I’m more American than anything else, so it feels like I’m losing that culture. I’m trying to share that culture makes you who you are.”

Kira Tierling – “Dear Society,”

“My poem is about how people are often reflections of each other. In society, we often try to naturally conform with one another because it’s human instinct. So, people often put up facades based on what they think other people want them to be. People are often not true to themselves, which is not very good for a functioning society.”

Zahra Mottaghian – “What You Call Me”

“I wrote this poem when an application I did for a science camp was still fresh in my mind. It asked for my racial identity, and one of the options said ‘White’ and in parentheses, ‘Middle-Eastern’. I’m Middle Eastern, but I feel like we should get proper recognition. I don’t really see Persian or Iranian students like me being recognized as their own body. I want this poem to raise awareness that there are people who aren’t a part of the majority.”

Make sure to come to the Eagle Theater during ACT tomorrow to support the poets!