Previous Story
Teen Poetry Slam winners named
Victoria Igitol Pangelinan of Kagman High School finished first place in the 16-19 years old division of the Teen Poetry Slam held last March 2 at the Hyatt Regency Saipan.
Another Kagman High School student, Jude Litulumar, topped the 13-15 years old category of the contest, which was sponsored by the Northern Marianas Coalition Against Domestic & Sexual Violence.
Aside from Pangelinan, the other winners in the 16-19 years old division were Nehemiah Concepcion Fernandez of Saipan Southern High School and Maria Calma of Marianas High School who came in second and third places, respectively.
Elain Joy Fernandez of Saipan Southern High School came in second and Wynesia Quinata of ChaCha Oceanview Middle School finished third in the 13-15 years old category.
The coalition said the purpose of the Teen Poetry Slam is to encourage CNMI teens to help spread awareness of teen dating violence and to promote healthy relationships during Teen Dating Violence Awareness Month.
The coalition credited the Commonwealth Health Care Corp.’s Systems of Care program and the Garret Lee Smith Youth Intervention program for supporting the event.
The judges of the poetry contest were Jan Mack of the Micronesian Legal Services Corp., Victoria Shiriff from CHCC, and Mardee Hermosilla, a KHS graduate and two-time winner of Teen Poetry Slam.
The event also featured Jeremiah Fernandez, DJ Gero, and performers from Saipan Music and Dance Studio.
“A major prop to every competitor who used their voice and amazing talent to spread awareness on the devastating issues of teen dating violence,” a statement from the coalition read. (Krizel Tuazon)
