Sunway International School Tops in Poetry Slam

2013-11-22
Sunway International School (SIS) came out on top at the first ever inter-school Poetry Slam competition,
emerging as champion in the Group category while clinching the first and third places in the Solo category
at the event held on 13 November 2013.
The event saw 28 participants competing in the public reading, showcasing the art of poetry, prose and
delivery. Participants were students between 13 and17 years of age from five international schools SIS,International School of Kuala Lumpur (ISKL), Garden International School, Asia Pacific International
School and Asia Pacific Smart School.

Poetry Slam is organized in collaboration with BluBricks, a Speech and Drama School for children. The
competition is part of the SIS's initiative to provide a creative platform for its students. In keeping with the
Ontario Secondary School Curriculum, the school aims to provide a nurturing environment that helps
students develop into well-rounded individuals. Extra curriculum activities such as these instill confidence
and team work.
John Mackle, Principal of Sunway International School, said, We are very proud to be part of this
competition. It takes confidence and courage to stand up on the stage and perform. Well done to the
students!
SIS Grade 10 student Muhammad Faadhi Fauzi, who is 16 years old, came in first in the Solo category
after earning himself full marks from four out of the five judges with his poem Pair of Shoes. Dakshina

Chetti, 15 years old currently in Grade 10 from ISKL, came in second with Promise for a Fetus while the
third place was a tie between Shirley Lee, 13 years old from SIS, with The Promise You Promised, and
Nicola Choon, 17 years old from ISKL, with Aflare for the Written Word. The winning team in the Group
category, SIS students Lauren Yun Tong Guo, Ong May-Yun and Shirley Lee won with their
poetry,Masked, in the group category.
Before the competition, a "sacrificial" poet, Farhan Fauzi, President of SIS Student Council currently in
grade 11, presented a poem before the competition to help judges set their scores. The inclusion of a
"sacrificial" poet is part of the format for a Poetry Slam competition.
Revolving around the given theme of Promise, participants delivered their original poems of life and
relationships with great elocution.
The judges for Poetry Slam were well known poets in the local spoken word scene. They were Katrina
Lau, founder of Blubricks, who has been teaching Drama and Speech since 2006; Alana Pattugalan Azlan
of Lip Movement Poetry, Alexander William Beale of Short and Sweet Productions, also a spoken word
poet, Jamal Raslan Abdul Jalil of Poets Passport and Sheena Baharudin of Numinous KL. Emcees for
the evening were Suzanne Gauthier from SIS and Elaine Foster of Blubricks. William Beale and Alana
Azlan also presented a piece of their original work to the audience.
The teachers in charge of guiding the SIS Team are Sean Power and Sherry Wyse.
As the Champion of this years Poetry Slam, SIS will be hosting the event again next year and hopes to
open up participation to more schools in the future.

About Sunway International School

Established in 2008, SIS is a part of the Sunway Education Group, and is a member of the Jeffrey Cheah
Foundation. SIS is the only international school in Malaysia to offer the renowned Ontario (Canada)
Secondary School Curriculum, leading to the Ontario Secondary School Diploma, a globally recognized
qualification for admission to universities. The excellent curriculum is delivered by highly qualified
Canadian-certified teachers and supported by high-tech learning environment that utilised technology to
make learning fun and engaging.

http://educationdestinationmalaysia.com/news/sunway-international-school-tops-inpoetry-slam